Bloodlines
Teaser
Story by Drew and Zahir al Daoud
Written by Drew and Zahir al Daoud
Produced and Directed by CN Winters and Susan Carr
Edited by Susan Carr
Sounds by CSR
Art Direction by Robert Kidman
Artists – Robert Kidman, CN Winters, Zahir al Daoud, Isis, Mattxxx, and Humaira
Fade In
Int.
Watchers Council Hallway – Night
"Me," Tracey was saying, "I'd be thrilled to be making out with Orlando Bloom, even if it was just an actor playing me."
"Even if you were Katie Holmes?" Faith shot back, cocking her head.
"Well, but I'm not. Not really."
"And I'm not making out with Orlando Bloom."
"I guess." Tracey sighed. "Sorry."
"S'alright. I got me a better honey."
The two of them turned a corner and took three steps before Faith stopped. She put out her hand and stopped Tracey. "Listen."
Behind the door to the kitchen, something was growling. And it kept on growling, with a few predatory snarls along with the same and another vocalization that resembled a hiss.
"No, no, no, no…!" young woman's voice could be heard exclaiming.
Faith hurled herself at the door.
Cut to:
Int.
Watchers Kitchen – Continuous
Faith landed in a controlled roll. Momentum carried her towards the table, where she hopped up into a crouch and grabbed a chair. She'd put it over her shoulder in a smooth motion, ready to use it as a weapon, before she actually looked in the direction of the growling.
On the counter, Marsha the dragon blinked at Faith. She had in her snout a long piece of meat. Holding the other end was Lorinda, who also blinked at Faith.
"What's up?" Lorinda asked after a pair of seconds that seemed to last decades.
Tracey by now had stuck her head into the kitchen. "Marsha lets you feed her dragon treats?"
Faith hadn't moved, but her face was a vision of confusion. "Dragon treats?"
"Yeah," Tracey went on. "Raw beefsteak smeared in wasabi. She loves it."
"But this piece," Lorinda said to the little dragon, "is too big for you." Marsha growled and pulled again at the meat with her mouth. "No!" said Lorinda, holding fast. Marsha growled some more, still tugging. Lorinda reached over with her free hand, pulled out a large knife from a wooden block and then sliced through the beefsteak in one motion.
The dragon lifted her head and gobbled the meat she had. It took her all of three quarters of a second. Then she looked at Lorinda, wagging her tail. A forked tongue licked wasabi from around her snout.
"Here you go, pretty girl," Lorinda held the second piece of meat to Marsha, who snatched it from her hand with a purring snarl.
"Don't give her too much," Tracey warned.
"Andrew told me," Lorinda said. She reached over and stroked Marsha's throat. "Pretty girl – such a pretty girl, aren't you?"
Marsha craned her head forward against Lorinda's fingers. And burped.
"Dragon treats?" repeated Faith, still crouched with a chair in her hand. She put the chair down and shook her head. "I'm late to meet Hadley. The kitchen's your domain Tracey so please…clean up the dragon spit before you guys leave," Faith told them as she left the room.
Fade in:
Ext.
Cleveland – Street
The young woman stumbled out of the front door of the bar, barely maintaining her balance atop a pair of impossibly tall stiletto heels. Her hands windmilled as she stumbled to a signpost and leaned heavily on it. She gripped it tightly as she took a series of ragged breaths, staring at the concrete sidewalk under her feet.
A second woman stepped out of the bar, her legs wobbling slightly as brushed her straight brown hair away from her eyes. "Jesus, Janna." She walked shakily over to her friend. "You know you need to watch how many margaritas you have. They go down a little too easy for you; and frankly, you go down a little too easy when you've had a few."
"Right, Klara." Janna straightened slightly, still holding onto the signpost for balance. Then she flung herself into Klara's arms, wrapping her own around the brunette's neck. Klara stumbled back from the sudden weight around her neck, barely staying upright. "And who was matching me drink for drink in there?"
"Big difference," Klara told her. "I can hold 'em." Klara stumbled backwards and the two fell to the pavement, giggling childishly.
"Yeah, you can hold 'em alright," Janna told her between fits of giggles.
Two more women stepped out of the bar, slightly steadier on their feet than their companions had been. "Jesus, guys, how much did you have to drink?" The tall redhead pulled her denim jacket around her barely-there dress.
"'sokay, Tiff," Janna slurred. "I think Klara's done for the night though."
"You're both done for the night," Tiff countered as she helped Janna up off the ground. She turned to their fourth companion; a rail-thin Vietnamese woman. "Kim, can you help Klara?"
"Margaritas again?" Kim asked.
"They're jus' so good," Janna said, her eyes rolling back in her head.
"Okay, next time, no tequila for you guys," Kim said. "This is the third weekend we've been out in the last two months, and I don't think we've been out past midnight yet."
"Hey, nobody says we have to go home." Janna wobbled slightly in Tiff's grip. "You guys just go ahead and as soon as the world stops spinning, I'll catch up," she added.
"Okay, the fact that you're even suggesting that tells me that your judgment isn't exactly up to snuff tonight," Tiff told her, supporting the brunette as they struggled their way down the street. "C'mon, let's get you home."
Faith stepped out of the bar and looked at the quartet with a derisive snort. "Some chicks really can't hold their liquor," she shook her head. The tiniest of smiles graced her lips.
A younger black-haired woman stepped out of the bar behind her. She brushed her wavy dark hair away from her eyes and adjusted the black halter-top she wore.
"Should someone be helping them?" she asked.
"Looks like they've got it handled," Faith replied. She looked over at the younger woman. "The two mostly sober ones balance out the two mostly drunk ones." She smiled. "The night's still young, Hadley, where to?"
"You sure you don't want to head in?" Hadley gestured at the ring on Faith's left hand. "I mean, you sure that Robin doesn't mind you going out with your latest protégé?"
"Nah, Ace's out with the boys. He knows me well enough to know that I'm not gonna sit around all night waitin' for him to come home. And he trusts me enough to know that I'm not gonna go out to bring someone else home. We got a good arrangement goin' on," Faith told her. The two women shared a smile.
"Well, in that case, there's this club that opened up just a few blocks from here, and I've been just waiting to check it out." Hadley bounced in front of the senior slayer and took her right hand, leading her down the street.
As the two slayers disappeared up the street, the four women they had seen earlier struggled in the opposite direction. Their slow progress ground to a halt as Janna jerked in Tiff's hands. She leaned on the wall of the building next to her as her body heaved.
"Oh-kay," Tiff muttered, quickly scanning the street. She ushered Janna into the space between two buildings and the two women knelt in the alleyway as Tiff held the inebriated woman's hair back.
"Jesus, Janna," Kim muttered, watching the woman's body heave. She looked up, scanning her environment, almost as if she were standing guard. She drew back with a start as she saw a young man standing at the entrance to the alleyway. He wore a full-length black coat his blond hair hung slightly messily in front of his eyes, and his hands were casually stuffed in his pockets. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice wavering slightly.
The man held up his hands defensively. "Easy," he reassured her. "I just wanted to see if you needed any help." He nodded at Janna. "She looks pretty sick."
"She'll be fine," Kim said tightly. "We just need to get her home so she can sleep it off."
"Can I get you a cab, or is there someone I can call?" the man persisted.
"We're only a few blocks from home," Kim explained, "and everybody who lives there is, well, here." She told him. "We're roommates," she added. Behind her back, her right hand curled into a fist and her stance widened slightly. The heels of her shoes lifted a fraction of an inch off of the ground as she shifted her weight onto her toes.
"You sure you're okay?" the man asked again, his gaze again falling on Jenna, kneeling on the rough asphalt.
"Yeah, we're fine," Kim replied, slightly annoyed.
He shrugged. "Suit yourself," he told her. He turned to disappear into the street.
Kim relaxed. The tenseness flowed free of her body and the fist she'd clenched behind her back released.
"Take it easy, Kim," Tiff admonished her. "You know, there is the odd nice guy out there who's just being a nice guy."
"Yeah, well. When you meet one, let me know," Kim countered.
"Honestly, Kim, there are a lot worse things to worry about out there than a guy who, as far as I can tell, was only trying to help," Tiff said. "You've watched the news, right? Creepy-crawlies all over."
"And how do you know he wasn't one of those creepy-crawlies?" Kim asked. "Some of them look pretty normal, or so I hear."
"More normal than you'd think," Janna said, her voice suddenly steady.
"What?" Tiff asked, looking down at the prone woman. "Come on, we need to get you home, Jan."
"No," Janna's voice was soft, like smoke whispering over the surface of a lake. She looked up at them, her eyes suddenly an inhuman yellow. They almost seemed to glow in the darkness formed by the ridges, which had appeared on her brow. "You don't."
Fade Out.
End of Teaser
Act One
Starring:
Lacey Chabert as Skye, Gale Harold as Jim Pollan, Caroline Dhavernas as Grace Hatherley, Rachel Hurd-Wood as Lorinda, Robert Picardo as Dr. Miller, and Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers
Guest Starring:
Gary Oldman as Mr. Jason Felix, Elisabeth Sladen as Dianna Earl, Mandy Musgrave as Hadley, Sasha Alexander as Janna, and Hudson Leick as the Mayor Justine Hegwell
Fade in:
Int.
Watchers Council – Foyer – Later
Faith and Hadley were laughing as they stepped into the foyer of the council. Faith's right arm was stretched across the younger slayer's shoulders. Hadley's left hand clung to Faith's opposite hip as the duo pranced cheerfully into the council building.
"Faith, thank God," Willow strode up to her, bringing their revelry to a rather prompt halt. Rowena was adjusting her coat as she walked up behind Willow.
"Yeah, what is it?" Faith asked.
"I need you to check out a vampire attack. Three victims, it looks like a new hive is in town," Willow explained.
"Can't someone else cover it?" Faith asked. "I mean, this is the first night I've had off in months, and not to put too fine a point on it, I've had a coupla drinks tonight, I'm not exactly at my best."
"Nobody else is close enough," Rowena told her. "Kennedy and Mia are still…jetlagged from Tokyo. I want someone with some experience on this one. The cops found three bodies in an alley behind Flannery's on Prospect. They think that it's vamps and they want us to check it out."
"Flannery's? But we were –" Hadley's response was abruptly cut off by a quick jab from Faith's elbow to her ribs.
"We'll look into it," Faith told the witch. "Give me five minutes to get ready."
Willow's forehead creased. "That's a bit gear-shift-y," she told Faith. "What changed your mind?"
"Nothing," Faith said quickly. "You just said that we're the only ones who can do it, so we'll do it."
"Uh huh," Rowena said, unconvinced. "Look, Faith…"
"Ro," Faith indicated herself. "Gift horse, mouth. You know what I'm sayin'?"
Rowena held up her hands in supplication. "Okay. Flannery's; corner of Prospect and West Third."
"I can find it," Faith said tightly.
"The cops will be waiting for you when you get there," Rowena yelled at Faith's retreating back.
Cut to:
Int.
Watchers Council – Faith and Robin's bedroom – Moments later
The door flung opened and Faith strode into the room. She walked to the dresser and slid the top drawer opened. She swept socks and undergarments out of the way, revealing, arrayed in an organized manner, a large variety of deadly, pointy weapons. She dropped the short jacket she was wearing on the bed and slid out of her T-shirt, changing into a tighter, black tank top. She picked a wooden stake from the top drawer and wriggled out of the tight, confining black leather pants she was wearing, choosing a pair of more functional, loose-fitting pants that didn't impede her movement.
"Where's the fire?" a deep voice called from behind her.
Faith jumped, startled, and whirled around, her jeans still hanging around her thighs. "Jesus, Ace!" she yelled. "Give a girl a little warning next time you decide to scare the living daylights out of her."
"What's up?" he asked.
"Nothing big," Faith said. "Just a vampire attack downtown."
"It's your night off, Faith. Why are you getting ready as if you're terrified that someone will walk in here the next five minutes and scoop 'nothing big' out from under you?" Robin asked her.
"I thought you were goin' out tonight," Faith told him.
"We came back early," he dismissed her comment. "Stop changing the subject."
Faith cocked her head slightly. "It's nothin'," she insisted. "The club scene's kinda slow tonight, so I think a good slay would ease the boredom a little." She offered a sultry smile. "I didn't think you'd mind," she added, teasingly.
Robin's jaw tensed. His voice was hard, but quiet when he spoke again. "I'll make you a deal," he said, "I'm going to ask you again when you come back, and next time take a long, hard look at the ring on your finger and then ask yourself if you should be lying to the man who gave it to you."
Faith's expression softened as she watched him turn around to leave. "Ace – Robin…" she said softly.
"I'll see you when you get back," he told her, without turning around. "Be careful," he added.
Faith took a shaky breath than bent over to pull her jeans up around her waist. She slid her jacket on and tucked the stake into the waistband of her pants and stepped into the living room.
Robin was leaning against the kitchen counter, his back to her. Faith opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a sharp knock at the door.
"Goddammit," she muttered and walked to answer the door.
Hadley stood in the hallway, changed and ready.
"We going?" she asked. She looked more intently into Faith's eyes. "You okay?" She asked, a little more gently.
"Yeah, on both counts," Faith replied. She turned to face Robin's back again. "We'll talk when I get back," she reassured him.
He offered no response before she closed the door behind her.
Cut to:
Ext.
Cleveland – Prospect Street – Later
"Crap," Faith murmured under her breath. "That didn't take long." Already photographers and news reporters were lining the sidewalk trying to snap a shot of the massacre. "God, I miss the days when nobody knew about us," she added in Hadley's direction. "A year ago, this would barely have got a mention on the six o'clock news."
"Um, yeah, it's after midnight. The six o'clock news has been over for hours," Hadley pointed out.
"Not the point," Faith snapped at her. "A year ago, this woulda been basically a non-story."
"It's a big story now," Hadley replied. "I mean, you got hotties with superpowers, violence, lesbians, even religion all mixed up in one big package." She offered a small smile to the older slayer. "I hear you single-handedly managed to make the Rapture Index triple during last year's apocalypse, and it hasn't stopped climbing since."