Act IV: Scene 1

(Cut to Tattoo parlor outside, neon sign, then inside in the back. Willow is standing with her shirt off, bra on, eyeing the fresh tattoo on the center of her back. It’s very well done. Buffy and Dawn smile at it.)

BUFFY: Well I was skeptical, but color me impressed, Will. I like it.

DAWN: It’s so cool! Buffy, can I get one?

BUFFY: No!

DAWN: (pouts) You never let me do anything. (To Willow) Did it hurt?

WILLOW: Of course it did! Hello with the needle and the ink! (She smiles) But not nearly as bad as I thought...

(Cry from off screen, it’s Xander. Willow pulls her shirt on, and they enter the parlor proper. Xander is getting a tattoo on his upper arm.)

BUFFY: (smiling) Wow, Xan. You scream like a girl.

(Xander shoots a glare at her.)

TATTOOIST: Stop movin, man.

(Xander holds himself still with visible effort. Willow smiles.)

WILLOW: You didn’t have to get one too, you know.

XANDER: Well, I wanted you to feel better. I can handle it–ow!”

(The girl’s giggle, and Andrew looks up from a book of tattoo designs.)

ANDREW: Can I see it, Willow?

WILLOW: No. It looks just like your book only not so photocopyish.

(Andrew pouts. Dawn leans in to Buffy and whispers.)

DAWN: If it wasn’t Andrew, I’d say he was just trying to get Willow to take her shirt off.

(Buffy and Dawn laugh. Then Buffy looks at Xander.)

BUFFY: What are you getting, anyways, Xander?

XANDER: I told you before you went in to help Willow, you can’t look. You can see it when it’s done.

ANDREW: I like it.

XANDER: You would.

DAWN: Why does he get to see?

ANDREW: Because I’m a guy.

XANDER: No, because you were standing there when I picked it out.

(Willow looks to the Tattooist.)

WILLOW: How much do I owe you, mister?

TATTOOIST: Your friends already took care of it.

(Willow turns to look at everyone, and they are all smiling brightly at her.)

WILLOW: Aww, guys! That’s so sweet!

DAWN: We figured it was enough that you had to get something you didn’t want.

BUFFY: You shouldn’t have had to pay for it too.

(Willow smiles, touched, and pulls Buffy and Dawn into a hug. Then she plants a kiss on Xander’s forehead, and after a moment’s hesitation, she ruffles Andrew’s hair. He smiles.)

ANDREW: Well...I had a little money.

TATTOOIST: Ok, all done. Now. Same instructions as for your friend.

(Xander pulls his shirtsleeve down a little gingerly and pays the man. They exit, and camera shows them walking home.)


Act IV: Scene 2

Cut to outside of their building. Everyone enters, leaving Willow just outside. They eye her expectantly, and then look down as the ghost cat sits amongst them, eyeing Willow as well, purring. Willow hesitantly steps through the door, eyes clenched in anticipation of pain. Willow’s eyes pop open in surprise.)

XANDER: Willow?

BUFFY: You ok?

WILLOW: Oh! That feels...neat!

(They look at her, a little shocked. The cat rubs up against Willow’s legs, purring loudly.)

ANDREW: What does?

(Willow turns.)

WILLOW: My tattoo. It feels like...purring, only not a sound, a feeling!

(She pulls up her shirt and the tattoo is glowing faintly, a light violet color.)

DAWN: Wow! That’s so cool looking! It’s glowing!

WILLOW: Really?

(The ghost cat rubs more insistently up against Willow’s legs, purring. She smiles and kneels to pet it.)

ANDREW: See, I told you it would work.

BUFFY: You did. Many, many times. (She sighs) Good job, Andrew.

WILLOW: Hey, Lenore. You’re a happy kitty.

BUFFY: Lenore?

(Willow looks up with a smile.)

WILLOW: That’s her name. She told me.

XANDER: Funny, all I heard was a vast amount of purring.

(Willow shakes her head.)

WILLOW: Well, I heard her.

ANDREW: It’s a Familiar thing.

XANDER: Oh. Right. I knew that.

DAWN: By the way, what’s your tattoo, Xander?

(Xander grins, and pulls up his sleeve. Camera pushes in to show a Scooby Doo tattoo.)

XANDER: (camera still on the tattoo) Figured it fit, bein an original Scooby.

Cut to commercial.

ACT IV: Scene 3

(Cut to shot of the hallway, following Andrew. He passes Willow and Kennedy’s apartment, where he briefly peeks in.)

KENNEDY: So, honey, how was your day?

(Andrew continues on, and we hear Kennedy off camera.)

KENNEDY: A tattoo!?!

(Andrew goes up the steps to the roof, where we see Dawn is standing, looking out at the city lights. He walks up to stand next to her.)

DAWN: Hey.

ANDREW: Hey.

(They stop and stare at the lights for a long time.)

(Andrew finally looks over at her.)

ANDREW: So, what's up?

DAWN: Just thinking.

ANDREW: Oh. Um. About...y'know. Him?

(Dawn nods.)

ANDREW: I miss him too.

(Dawn turns to look at him, surprised.)

DAWN: You do?

ANDREW: Yeah. I mean, he was so cool! He’s the only person ever to make ‘sod off’ sound like a death threat. He’d say it and I was always like ‘woah’! He can kill me! I’d just sound dumb if I said half the stuff he said, but for some reason he made it all sound bad ass. And he had the motorcycle, and the coat. Aren’t British people supposed to be all...pansyish and stuff?

(Dawn smiled a little half amused smile, crossing her arms and chuckling a little.)

DAWN: I thought so. But then I spent too much time around Spike.

ANDREW: Yeah, well, I knew he wouldn’t off me. I mean, he respected me.

DAWN: Andrew, where do you live?

ANDREW: Huh? Just downstairs...

DAWN: No. I mean, where do you live? Because in this reality? Spike never respected you. That’s the one I’m from.

ANDREW: Ok, geeze, he didn’t...but we both liked flowering onions!

DAWN: (smiles, then she looks away again) But anyways...I miss him. Or...I miss the way we were. I think if I had to do it over again I’d not have gotten so distant with him. I’d have made a better effort to be close to him again.

(Companionable silence falls.)

DAWN: So that’s my excuse. I was his little nibblet. What’s yours?

ANDREW: UH...I mean...

(First black credits screen.)

DAWN: (giggles) Yeah, I used to have a crush on him too.

ANDREW: Hey!

Credits!!

Grr. Arg. A little ghost cat follows the mutant enemy guy. 'mew'




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