TEASER
FADE IN.
INT. OCCULT SHOP - STORAGE ROOM - NIGHT
Pan across several aisles of stocked merchandise.
GABRIELLA (O.S.)
Baltic stones. One, two, three,
four, five, six cases.
CONNOR (O.S.)
Got it.
Stop on one aisle and PUSH IN on CONNOR and GABRIELLA, both
dressed in jeans and t-shirts.
Gabriella is counting items on the shelves. Connor is seated
just behind her on a short stool logging everything on a
clipboard.
CONNOR
Wait, was that fine or coarse
stones?
GABRIELLA
Coarse.
Connor flips back and forth between pages on his inventory.
He stops on one and rolls his eyes.
He scratches out his marking, flips to another page and makes
another one.
GABRIELLA
Sorry, I'll be more specific.
CONNOR
I'd appreciate it. Not like this
hasn't already taken-
He pulls out his cell phone to check the time. Gabriella
snatches the phone out of his hands and checks for herself.
GABRIELLA
Four hours and fifty seven minutes.
(stern)
Five minutes from the last time you
checked, for the record.
She tosses the phone back to him, a little harder than
necessary, and turns back to the shelf she was on.
GABRIELLA
(counting another item)
And it's going to take a hell of a
lot longer if you keep whining
about it.
(beat)
Fine Baltic stones. Three cases.
Connor records the amount.
CONNOR
Mm hmm.
(beat)
Wonder what Pike's up to right now?
GABRIELLA
Still licking his wounds, last time
I checked.
CONNOR
Think I should give him a call?
He sets the clipboard down and turns to leave. Gabriella
holds out her arm to cut him off.
GABRIELLA
Oh no. You're not getting away that
easily. You said you would help me
do inventory.
CONNOR
That was an excuse to get out the
house.
(muttering to himself)
One I'm starting to regret.
(beat; out loud)
Seriously, I'll just be a minute.
He tries to walk off, but Gabriella firmly grabs his arm.
GABRIELLA
Connor, I'm serious too. That's not
a good idea just yet.
Connor turns back to face her, a curious expression on his
face.
CONNOR
Yet? What'd he say to you?
GABRIELLA
Nothing, just...
(sighs)
After that business with Krav and
the Reillys-
Connor holds up his hand to cut her off.
CONNOR
I had a front row seat, thanks.
Don't need the recap.
GABRIELLA
Connor, they just want to be sure
you're okay before-
CONNOR
You mean they're afraid of me.
Gabriella doesn't respond verbally. A bow of her head is the
only answer Connor gets.
CONNOR
(sighs)
Figures.
He slumps back down on the stool.
GABRIELLA
They just need some time.
CONNOR
(looking up at Gabriella)
What about you?
Gabriella's a bit taken back by that question, but quickly
regains her composure.
CONNOR
Are you afraid of me?
Gabriella laughs nervously.
GABRIELLA
Well that's a stupid question. I'd
have kicked you out if-
CONNOR
(sharp)
Stop lying.
GABRIELLA
I'm not. I'm just...
She kneels down to be eye level with him.
GABRIELLA
I'm sorry.
(beat)
That night, we all saw what happens
when you lose that control. So
yeah, it shook me up a little. All
of us.
Realization dawns on Connor's face.
CONNOR
So that's why you've kept me locked
up at home all week?
GABRIELLA
I...wanted to be sure all that was
out of your system.
CONNOR
(nods his head)
Gotcha. But I'm fine now.
GABRIELLA
You threw a hissy fit during the
game the other night.
CONNOR
(incredulous)
That ref made a crappy call!
(beat)
I'm fine. Really.
They hold a stare for a beat before she stands up again.
GABRIELLA
(sighs)
Okay.
CONNOR
Finally!
He stands up, refreshed and turns to leave again.
Gabriella stops him again, slapping the clipboard into his
chest.
GABRIELLA
First, inventory.
Connor makes a pathetic pouting face. Gabriella rolls her
eyes.
GABRIELLA
Fine, we'll take a break.
They walk off into:
INT. OCCULT SHOP - OFFICE - CONTINUOUS
Gabriella takes a seat at a desk completely covered in
paperwork. Connor leans over her shoulder as she starts
messing with her laptop perched on top of the pile.
GABRIELLA
Just let me check on the local
auctions first, then we'll hit
Ralph's.
CONNOR
'Kay.
GABRIELLA
(hits a few keys)
Hmm, nothing there.
She navigates to another page.
GABRIELLA
(scans a listing)
Meh.
And again.
GABRIELLA
(scanning again)
Nada.
CONNOR
I thought I got everything on that
list you had through the Council.
GABRIELLA
You did, but I still run across
rare stuff every now and then for
my personal collect-
She stops abruptly, her eyes staring a hole into the monitor.
CONNOR
(squints)
What?
(looks at Gabriella)
What is that?
PUSH IN on Gabriella as she looks up at Connor, then back to
the monitor.
ON the monitor showing an image of a very familiar object.
An amulet on a chain necklace, the same one that closed the
Sunnydale Hellmouth.
BLACK OUT.
END OF TEASER
ACT ONE
FADE IN.
INT. UNKNOWN - DAY
Open on a familiar looking apartment door. A hand comes up
into frame and knocks.
A moment passes before the locks are undone from the other
side and the door swings open to reveal PIKE, who looks
confused at the visitor.
REVERSE ON Connor, looking quite sheepish.
CONNOR
(unsure)
Umm, sorry I beat you up, dude.
Connor pulls a large case of BEER up to face level. Pike
takes it without a second's pause.
PIKE
(shrugs)
Eh, forgiven.
He walks off, motioning with his hand for Connor to enter.
INT. PIKE'S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS
Pike pulls out two beers and tosses one to Connor. The rest
of it goes into his fridge.
PIKE
And for the record, you didn't beat
me up. Who knocked who out?
Pike raises his bottle towards Connor, who toasts. They
simultaneously sip.
CONNOR
That was a suckerpunch.
PIKE
(wry)
Whatever works.
Pike walks to the opposite end of the studio penthouse.
There's a hand built, wooden display case in one corner. Pike
picks up a paintbrush and starts to work on one of the sides.
CONNOR
You build that yourself?
PIKE
Nah. Guy on the second floor's a
carpenter.
CONNOR
Oh.
(beat; wary)
Listen, I-
Pike holds his hand up to cut Connor off.
PIKE
Dude, don't. You apologized,
brought me beer, Kaia's okay, we're
good. I've taken worse beatings
from closer friends.
(beat)
And groveling violates the seventh
man law.
CONNOR
Thought that was the eighth.
PIKE
(shakes his head)
Low carb beer.
CONNOR
Right, right.
(beat)
Need some help?
PIKE
You go side to side or up and down?
CONNOR
Up and down.
Pike reaches down out of frame and picks up a second brush,
tossing it to Connor.
PIKE
(smiling)
Cool.
Connor gently dips his brush in a can of paint and starts
painting the side opposite Pike.
INT. AUCTION HALL - MAIN LOBBY - DAY
Gabriella and KAIA are standing in line to register for the
auction.
GABRIELLA
Thanks for coming along.
KAIA
No problem.
GABRIELLA
I should probably warn you ahead of
time, I've been to a few of these
before. Some of the stuff up for
bidding is a little...different.
A large demon with a head like a squid passes by the ladies.
Kaia's eyes follow it.
KAIA
(wry)
Ya don't say.
They reach the front of the line where a female vampire (in
full vamp face) is sitting at a small desk signing everyone
in.
VAMPIRE
Name.
GABRIELLA
Gabriella Heron.
The vampire hands her a paddle with the number '26' on it.
VAMPIRE
Are you carrying any weapons?
Gabriella and Kaia share a puzzled look.
GABRIELLA
Uh, no.
VAMPIRE
(snorts)
Good luck.
Another shared look between the girls. The vampire looks up
at them and motions with her hand for them to move on.
VAMPIRE
(calling out)
Next!
Gabriella and Kaia walk off, the latter looking a bit
tentative.
KAIA
Care to explain what she meant by
that?
GABRIELLA
These things can get a
little...rowdy if the right people
don't win.
KAIA
And Connor isn't here because?
Gabriella doesn't answer. Kaia shoots her a look.
KAIA
You can't keep him bottled up in
the house forever.
GABRIELLA
I'm not. He's hanging out with Pike
right now.
KAIA
Still. What are you so afraid of?
You told Oli and me he was fine
after that, whatever it was you did
to him.
GABRIELLA
I just...
(sighs)
That look in his eyes that night.
(beat)
It's hard to explain.
(sighs again)
I guess I'm just realizing exactly
how young he is.
Kaia stares at her friend for a beat before smiling and
shaking her head.
KAIA
(grinning)
Oh my God.
GABRIELLA
What?
KAIA
You're totally turning into a mommy
for him.
GABRIELLA
(horrified)
What? Oh God no! I'm
just...concerned.
INT. AUCTION HALL - AUCTION ROOM - CONTINUOUS
They enter a small room with rows of folding chairs set up
for the patrons. A stage is at the front of the room with a
podium.
KAIA
Did you tuck him in, give him
ginger ale through a straw...
They take their seats in the middle row, Gabriella sitting
next to a large, slime coated demon.
GABRIELLA
Cut me some slack, Kaia.
The demon coughs up a mouthful of phlegm, earning a disgusted
reaction from the girls. They move a few seats down.
KAIA
Hey, of the three of us, I'm the
one who got Zorro'd. I'm not
holding a grudge.
GABRIELLA
(under her breath)
That's not what he thinks.
KAIA
What do you mean by that?
GABRIELLA
Huh? What?
KAIA
(touches her ear)
Enhanced hearing, sweetie.
Gabriella looks away, searching for a good response. Luckily
she's saved by:
AUCTIONEER (O.S.)
Everyone, please take your seats,
we're about to begin.
ON the AUCTIONEER, a well dressed human female looking
completely out of place among the rogue gallery of bidders
(human and demon) in front of her.
AUCTIONEER
We've got a lot of interesting
items up for sale. I don't think I
need to go over the rules, so we'll
get right to it.
(beat)
Oh, and no personal checks please.
A chorus of groans comes from the bidders.
KAIA
What are we here to bid on anyway?
GABRIELLA
An amulet.
KAIA
What's so special about it?
GABRIELLA
I'll tell you later.
An ASSISTANT enters the stage from a curtain to the side with
a box.
AUCTIONEER
Our first item up for sale is...
She reaches into the box and pulls out a small hairless
KITTEN.
AUCTIONEER
A litter of purebred sphynx kittens
from Europe.
Two rows in front of them, a familiar looking demon with
blueish gray sagging skin and long floppy ears looks
positively giddy. CLEM.
AUCTIONEER (O.S.)
We'll start the bidding at...
Clem fires his paddle into the air.
CLEM
Twenty five thousand dollars!
The auctioneer smiles at his enthusiasm.
AUCTIONEER
Alright, twenty five. Do I hear
twenty six?
The squid faced demon from earlier raises its paddle.
AUCTIONEER
I have twenty six. Twenty seven?
Clem raises his paddle.
TIME LAPSE to a few moments later. The bidding war continues.
AUCTIONEER
(astounded)
Sixty thousand dollars! Do I have-
SQUID DEMON
(raising paddle)
One hundred thousand dollars.
Clem looks at the demon, dejected. That's way out of his
price range.
AUCTIONEER
One hundred, do I have one hundred
five?
Clem fights the urge to raise his paddle, almost shaking from
the impending defeat.
AUCTIONEER
Going once.
(beat)
Twice.
(beat)
Sold to number fifty five for one
hundred thousand dollars!
Clem's face falls (no pun intended). Dejected, he slowly gets
out of his chair and leaves the room.
The squid demon claps gleefully like a little girl and bounds
up to the stage.
It tries to grab the box from the assistant, but the
auctioneer cuts him up.
AUCTIONEER
Payment, please.
She's presented with several large block of cash and steps
aside.
AUCTIONEER
Also, sir, we ask that you please
not-
The demon snatches the box and digs its face in. A chorus of
loud feline SCREECHES and SLURPING sounds fill the room as
the demon struggles to hold the shaking box still.
AUCTIONEER
(low)
-consume the product on stage.
The assistant covers his mouth and runs off the stage to
vomit.
ON Gabriella and Kaia, both looking nauseous.
KAIA
(sickly)
I hope that's not how my clan
looks.
GABRIELLA
Come again?
KAIA
Nothing.
BACK ON the stage as the demon finishes its snack and tosses
the empty box aside.
The auctioneer watches the demon leave, expressionless. She
breaks into a nervous bit of laughter, trying to lighten the
mood.
AUCTIONEER
Okay, moving on. Next item up is...
DISSOLVE TO later in the auction.
AUCTIONEER
And sold to number seven!
The assistant, recovered from earlier, hands off a pale,
skinny demon on a dog collar (last seen poisoning Archduke
Sebassis) to a very very large, furry demon.
The demon tenderly strokes his new slave's head as they
depart.
AUCTIONEER
And our final item for sale, the
one that seems to have garnered the
most attention, is...
The assistant returns to the stage holding the amulet out for
everyone to see.
AUCTIONEER
This talisman, once owned by the
law offices of Wolfram and Hart.
The remaining bidders in the room, including Gabriella, perk
up.
Gabriella looks over to a snoozing Kaia and pokes her in the
side with an elbow. Kaia snorts and wakes up.
GABRIELLA
This is us.
KAIA
(blearily)
About time.
ON the auctioneer holding the amulet by the chain.
AUCTIONEER
We'll start the bidding at two
thousand dollars.
She points off into the crowd at an unseen bidder.
AUCTIONEER
I have two, do I have three?
ON Gabriella, who seems to be straining. Kaia looks at her
incredulously.
KAIA
What are you waiting for? Bid.
GABRIELLA
(gritted teeth)
I can't.
AUCTIONEER
Anyone?
KAIA
What do you mean you can't?
GABRIELLA
I mean I can't. I can't lift my
arm.
KAIA
What?
AUCTIONEER
(confused)
Okay, two going once...
PAN ACROSS the audience. They all seem to be straining to
lift their paddles without success.
KAIA
What the hell?
GABRIELLA
Someone...cast...a spell.
All of the other potential bidders start to complain about
the same problem. The auctioneer looks completely confused,
but continues.
AUCTIONEER
Going twice...
Kaia grabs Gabriella's arm and tries to lift it herself. She
can't do it.
AUCTIONEER
Sold to number two. Congratulations
Mr...?
UNKNOWN MALE (O.S.)
(in a British accent)
Rayne, my dear.
ON ETHAN RAYNE (late forties, British, swarmy) standing up
and making his way to the front.
Everyone in the crowd slumps forward, obviously released from
the spell holding them in place.
GABRIELLA
(gasping)
Damn it.
Ethan gets to the stage and takes the amulet from the
auctioneer.
ETHAN
You, my dear, can call me Ethan.
The auctioneer blushes and turns away. Ethan hands her a wad
of cash.
ON Kaia as she pats Gabriella comfortingly on the back.
KAIA
You okay?
GABRIELLA
I'm good.
She looks up at Ethan with death in her eyes.
GABRIELLA
(icily)
And I'll be better in a minute.
Kaia looks up at Ethan, who continues to relentlessly hit on
the auctioneer.
FLASH CUT TO:
INT. AUCTION HALL - MAIN LOBBY - LATER
Gabriella marches right up to Ethan, grabs his shoulder, and
spins him around. Ethan sighs when he sees who's confronting
him.
ETHAN
Oh wonderful.
GABRIELLA
That was low, Ethan. Even for you.
Kaia looks back and forth between the two.
KAIA
Wait, you two know each other?
GABRIELLA
You really should've stayed in
prison.
Ethan gives her a wry smile.
ETHAN
What can I say? Rehab didn't take.
(looks to Kaia)
And who might this be?
He goes to shake Kaia's hand, but Gabriella soundly slaps his
away.
GABRIELLA
None of your damn business. What's
your game, Ethan? You know what the
Eye is for.
ETHAN
Yes, I'm fully aware. I'm actually
glad I ran into you, Gabriella.
I've been sending out invitations
to a soiree I'm having at my estate
this weekend.
He pulls out a small business card and hands it to Gabriella.
She immediately slaps it out of the way, stepping right up
into his face, her eyes flashing yellow. She's pissed.
GABRIELLA
(cold)
You're going to give me the Eye.
ETHAN
(backing up)
Now let's calm down. That's
actually what the party is for.
Gabriella looks like she's ready to turn him into a frog.
Kaia grabs her hand, trying to calm her down.
KAIA
(shakes her head)
Hey, not here.
ETHAN
(nods to Kaia)
Smart lady.
(sarcastic)
Hope you find the time to attend,
Ms. Robinson.
KAIA
Robinson?
GABRIELLA
It's Heron now.
ETHAN
Oh, let go of that bit of baggage,
have you?
He gives her a fake smile and pumps his fist to accent the
over the top enthusiasm.
ETHAN
Good girl! Hope to see you this
weekend.
He swaggers off, relishing his small triumph. Gabriella
watches him leave, seething.
Kaia bends down and picks up the card.
KAIA
What was that all about?
GABRIELLA
The Eye. I have to-
KAIA
Yeah, I got that. What's so
important about it?
Gabriella turns to her, running her hands through her hair,
trying to contain her frustration.
GABRIELLA
I'll explain later.
She turns to walk away. Kaia grabs her arm to stop her.
KAIA
No, now. Now's good. I'm good with
now.
GABRIELLA
(sighs)
Remember when I told you I used to
work for Wolfram and Hart?
KAIA
Yeah.
She looks off in the direction Ethan left.
GABRIELLA
(solemn)
Well, I still do.
ON Ethan as he walks up the stairs towards the exit, twirling
the amulet like it's a child's toy.
BLACK OUT.
END OF ACT ONE
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