April 2000

Writer: Nick Bryan

Ethan Rayne	Amy Madison	Jonathan Levinson	Tara	Michael Kawer

There was thunder. Lightening. And an earthquake. Or at least, that’s what it felt like for Amy Madison, the girl-who-is-a-rat. She experienced a rather fast-paced few hours. It began as follows:

First she was sitting in Willow’s room, waiting ever patiently for Willow to develop a cure for her "condition". It had got rather dull, although Willow and Buffy’s occasional brushes with the supernatural livened it up somewhat. One such brush, seeming remarkably similar to many others, involved a being which caused everyone in Sunnydale to shoot guns wildly. That much she knew. And she didn’t have much of a chance to find out the rest. One day, as she innocently ate her cheese, a man she didn’t recognise opened the door. He seemed to have used the key.

He came over to her cage, looked into her eyes and said "Hello Amy."

This worried her. It worried her a bit more when the man picked up her cage and carried her away. Despite her most desperate attempts at speech, nothing happened.

And that was about it. Now she was sitting in the man’s spare bedroom, staring into a full-length mirror on the wall. She pondered what might happen next. Then he came back in, equipped with spell book and candles, and a dress. Quite a nice dress, she observed. Then he started speaking a Latin ritual, which she recognised. It was a reversal for the animal transformation spell. Although she was still worried about why exactly she had been rat-napped, this gave her some hope. Then the ritual finished, there was a crackling of light. And nothing happened.

"Oh, don’t worry, " he said, "this is right. You should change back in around a minute. When you do, put this on" he said, pointing to the dress. Then he opened the door of her cage and left. Amy ran out and scampered around the bed. She had a close look at the dress, which seemed very nice. She did briefly think about trying it on, but most of her thoughts were preoccupied with her transformation back to human form. Then it began. She started to feel odd. Then she felt like belting out of her skin. She recognises the feeling from when Willow had inadvertently turned her back for a few seconds with her "my will be done" spell.

"Then," she thought, "comes that great crackle of energy and overall toasty feeling."

And sure enough, it came. She found herself sitting naked on the bed. She smiled and looked in the mirror at herself. Although she’d never liked her body that much, it was sure as hell better than fur and a tail. She put the dress on and went downstairs. She found her saviour in the living room, having a drink.

"Ah, Miss Madison. Welcome back to the world of two-legged motion. How does it feel?"

"A little.........a little weird. Getting used to it."

"Excellent. Now, as the most powerful known witch in this town, I have brought you back to aid me in a little task."

"What? This had better not be ‘Kill the Slayer’ or anything, because that whole "do them a favour, then turn them against their friends" thing was old years ago."

"No, nothing like that. I’m Ethan Rayne, Miss Madison. We’re going to form the new Sunnydale Coven. What do you think?"

Amy thought about it. "What if I say no?"

"Back to the cheese, my dear."

"Oh. In that case, I’m in."

Ethan smiled. "Don’t worry. I think you’ll enjoy it. We get to be the magical inner circle of the hellmouth. It could be fun."

"Fun. Okay."

And as Ethan continued to drink his coffee, Amy rolled her eyes and wondered what she had gotten herself into.

The Coven

Pilot Episode:

"The Summons"

Featuring:
Elizabeth Anne Allen
Danny Strong
Robin Sachs
AND Amber Benson as Tara

Jonathan Levinson threw down his books and paced around the apartment for a bit. He liked it here. It was nice having stupid amounts of inherited money. Not that he ever wished his aunt dead of course not. He decided to have a spontaneous minute’s silence in her memory. After he’d finished that, Jonathan decided to head out. He noted that he didn’t seem to do much these days except study and go out, either just wandering around or to lectures.

Life was dull. He’d faced vampires in his time. Been held hostage by an armed assassin. Even got to touch Cordelia Chase once. He sighed as he walked down the road. Where was Buffy Summers and the chaos that came in her wake when he needed them?

Amy left Ethan’s place after setting a meeting time and strolled down the road. However, she wasn’t really sure where she was going. Everyone thought she was pretty much dead since she did the big fade into rodent in front of everyone. Remarkably, no-one had connected this with Willow obtaining a new pet rat. She smirked in the general direction of the population of Sunnydale. Then she continued to walk. Her mother was, of course, banished to some where else. She didn’t really know where. She could go and see her father, but she didn’t feel ready for that. So she hit upon the idea of visiting Michael, her former fellow student of magic. Someone to talk about her little animal experience with. Could be fun. She tried to use her powers to summon his location out of the ether, but it didn’t work. "Strange," she thought, "that spell’s meant to home in on the soul of any being. Maybe I’m still depowered after being a rat. I guess I’ll just have to find Michael some other way." So she set off for Sunnydale University Campus.

Jonathan saw her turn the corner, and his eyes widened. He muttered that he must be wrong, but when he dashed to the corner and looked around, there she was. Amy Madison. The Witch. Jonathan dictated the wisdom of going over and saying "Hi." On the one hand, she might be able to get him some of that good old action and adventure. On the other hand, last time he’d seen her, she had turned herself into a rat, so who knows what she could turn him into.

Then the decision was taken out of his hands as Amy approached him and said "Hi Jonathan." Jonathan made the executive non-decision to stutter in a hopefully alluring kind of way.

In a rather squalid underground cave, a group of vampires returned from the hunt. They were wearing ceremonial garb, and carved into the floor of their cave was a sacred circle. From the darkness came another vampire, garbed in more ornate robes than the others.

"Were you successful?"

"Yes."

"Excellent."

As one of the returning vampires wiped the blood from his mouth, their leader pulled out a piece of scorched paper. On it were scratched "Michael Kawer" and "Ethan Rayne". He smiled and scratched one of them out.

"So, do you know where Michael lives?"

"I..........Michael...........who......me..........I........"

Amy sighed. This was getting her nowhere. She’d asked Jonathan the question several times now, using different techniques, and all she got in response was a stammer. Threats were now her last resort.

"Fine. Tell me where he is, or I just use magic to extract the knowledge. What’ll it be?"

"Um.........I don’t actually know. He’s in a dorm on campus somewhere."

"Good. Come on Jonathan, we’re off to college."

"Um..............."

"Okay, can you just walk?"

And she shoved him along.

The room was rich with the smell of blood. She walked through it and grimaced. As she stepped over the bodies, she muttered "Okay, this is definitely not how I want to spend my final days."

Then she saw one of the robed men pushed against the wall. His body had been forced into it and stuck there with table legs. She sighed and closed her eyes with her open palm. And continued looking around.

As Jonathan struggled to regain the ability to walk without being dragged, Amy pulled him through the campus.

"So........so........um..........how are you planning on finding Michael?"

"Luck. Magic. Shouting?"

"Um........"

"No, no, don’t worry. I’ll do the shouting. You just try not to choke on your own stutter."

"Could we try the computers?"

"Now, for that we need.............Willow!"

Jonathan perked up. "Willow?"

"Yeah, Willow. She likes computers. Plus I should probably tell her I’m back. She must be worried. I know where she lives. Let’s go, Jonathan."

They ran a few metres before Amy stopped.

"Remind me why I’m bringing you?"

"Because...um....?"

"Couldn’t have put it better myself. Come on."

This time they managed to travel a whole couple of dorms across the campus before they stopped. There was a crowd of Police gathered around a dorm. They were just coming out. They looked up and saw a Policeman closing the curtain of a dormitory.

"I bet I can get us up there! Magic time."

They ducked behind a tree, and before Jonathan could say "Will this make me hurl?" they were up there.

They rematerialised just outside the dorm. Amy landed gracefully. Jonathan staggered into the room. Then he threw up. Amy paced over and looked down at it.

"Y’know, they might just realise someone was in here now."

Then she looked up and had to fight the urge to chuck herself. Everyone there had been slaughtered. She walked across the room as Jonathan mopped up his mostly-digested breakfast. There were four or five bodies across the room, and blood everywhere. One of them had been nailed to the wall with table legs. As she looked at him, she saw the little holes in his neck.

"Vampires."

Jonathan walked over to her carefully, trying not to stand in any blood.

"So, what’s with the robes? Were these magic people?"

Amy shut her eyes and concentrated. "Yes. Some spell. I’m not familiar with it."

"It was the Coven formation spell" said the voice from behind them.

Jonathan and Amy spun around.

"Really?" Amy asked, as she continued to try and work out what it was about this energy that seemed familiar to her.

"Yes. These people were trying to stake a claim as the Coven of Sunnydale. However, clearly the vampires didn’t like it."

"Clearly."

Amy started to walk across the room. Then Jonathan spoke up. "So, I don’t mean to be rude, but who are you? And what were you just talking about?"

"Oh, I’m Tara. I was just saying.........."

As Jonathan found out what a Coven was, Amy walked across the room. Her eyes closed, she was trying to sort through the complex magical energy in this room. She could sense a spell that had been disrupted, possibly by the vampire attack. She could also sense something else, though, something that she should recognise. Then she stepped over one of the bodies and felt it stronger than ever. She opened her eyes and looked down at the body. At this point, she knew what she had sensed. Michael.

"So, you’re also a witch?" Jonathan asked Tara.

"Well, yeah. I guess."

"Really. That’s.........really interesting. How long have you been a witch?"

"Not long."

"Does that mean you don’t know what this purple stuff is?"

The bizarre purple energy had appeared from nowhere. It was swirling around Jonathan at high speed. He started to feel strange.

"AMY!"

Amy was in a trance-like state, staring at Michael’s body. When she heard Jonathan’s shout, she whirled around.

"What’s that?"

Tara was staring at it.

"It’s dangerous! Someone’s trying to kill him!"

Amy raised an eyebrow.

"Whoever would want to do that?"

Jonathan started to become hysterical.

"Can we save the cutting wit for later? I’m dying here!"

"Sure. Sorry. This is stronger magic than I can stop. Tara?"

"Maybe. I’ll try."

Tara closed her eyes and energy swirled around her. Then she snapped her fingers, and the energy around Jonathan disappeared in a flash of light. Jonathan himself did not.

"Why am I always the fall guy for these spells?"

Then yet another surprise voice sounded out from behind. "YOU KILLED MY FRIENDS, YOU................Amy? What are you....."

And Michael passed out.

"Interesting. I think he’s unconscious Amy."

"Thank you for that input Jonathan."

Amy knelt down next to Michael and closed her eyes.

"His energy is depleted. He needs treatment."

She looked over to Tara. "I can’t send people over distances that long. Can you get him to hospital?"

Tara thought about it for a short while. Then she replied. "Alright."

Then she snapped her fingers and sent Michael on his way. "Okay Amy. Lets talk."

Jonathan rolled his eyes slightly and went to sit in the corner.

Five minutes later, Jonathan was lying down on the bed, more or less asleep. The witches were talking spells and Covens, and Jonathan was bored out of his mind. He wondered if he had a lecture he should be at. He looked at his watch. Nope. Then he rolled over on the bed and found himself eyeball-to-eyesocket with a rather badly mutilated corpse.

"YARGH!!"

The witches looked over at him and sighed exasperatedly.

"Right, c’mon Jonathan. We need to go visit Ethan and have words about the whole Coven thing."

"Right. Who’s Ethan?"

Ethan Rayne was just having some more coffee. He was somewhat nervous about the spell, but looking forward to getting the casting over and done with, and staking his claim as leader of the Sunnydale Coven.

"Still a few hours to go." He thought as he leant back. Then there was a knocking on the door. He muttered a complaint as he went to answer it.

"Yes?"

"Hi Ethan. Nice to see you again."

"Miss Madison. How.........great."

"Can we come in? Important Coven business."

Ethan looked up. "And who are these people you’re so nicely inviting into my home on my behalf?"

"Oh, this is Tara. She’s a really powerful witch. Met her at college. And that’s Jonathan."

"Hello Tara. It’s always nice to meet a powerful wicca. And what exactly are you doing here?" he added, looking pointedly at Jonathan.

"I.......um..........Amy brought me along. I have no idea why. Sorry."

Ethan looked at Amy.

"Miss Madison, this is not a spectator sport. Please leave your guests at home."

"Sorry, I’ll........what home?" Amy suddenly realised this was a very good point. "Where am I going to live?"

"Um.....excuse me?"

"What is it?" Amy sighed, turning to the noticeably shorter Jonathan with an icy air of impatience.

"I might be able to help there. I have a spare room or two."

"Why do you have a big house exactly? I mean, what do you do? Stack shelves?"

Tara and Amy burst into a short fit of giggles.

Jonathan turned to walk away.

"Fine. Insult me. See if I care." And he walked out.

Amy swore. "Dammit! Jonathan! Come back, I’m sorry. Jonathan!"

She slumped into a seat. "Got any magic for this, Tara?"

"Sorry Amy. None."

"Excuse me?" Ethan inquired exasperatedly.

"What is it Ethan?" Tara muttered.

"Well, I was just casually wondering why you came here? Just to play out

your little soap opera?"

"Actually, we think there’s a problem. An anti-Coven thing. A friend of mine trying to start a Coven got attacked by vamps. Why would that be?"

Ethan thought about this. "It means we need to draw them out. We do the Coven spell tonight. Come at the arranged time."

"Excuse me!" Amy complained, "You’re using us as the bait to draw them out."

Ethan looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Yes. Problems?"

Amy subdued herself. "None."

"Excellent. Now, go and see what the boy who was injured can tell you."

"Sure. Whatever." As Amy and Tara went to leave, a thought struck Amy.

"I never told you my friend was a boy."

Ethan smiled. "You think you’re the only one who knows any magic?"

Once they had left Ethan’s house, Amy and Tara started to mutter the incantations to take them to the hospital. Amy stopped halfway through.

"Okay Tara, you go talk to Michael, I suppose I should go and see Jonathan. Apologise."

"Should I come with you? I mean, we were both nasty to him."

"I can do this. Go do your research."

And the two witches disappeared.

In Sunnydale hospital, Michael Kawer lay in his bed. He was still unconscious. Tara came up to him. She looked at him for a few seconds. He seemed better already. But she didn’t have time to waste. She laid one hand on his forehead and shut her eyes. They both opened their eyes simultaneously a few seconds later and Michael looked over at Tara.

"So, you’re a friend of Amy’s? Nice to see you."

Amy appeared outside Jonathan’s house and looked up at it. It was a nice house. She wondered how a college student could afford this. It looked more than large enough for a small family to share. Then Jonathan answered the door.

"Amy. What is it?"

"Um.....Hi. Can I come in?"

"Make yourself at home. But not too at home."

"Thanks. Nice house. Did you buy it?"

Jonathan smirked. "Yes, I bought it. I’m a student on remarkably less than the minimum wage and I bought this small family home."

Amy leant against the wall. "I know you’re upset....."

"More disappointed than upset actually."

"Fine. Disappointed. In what?"

"I dunno. Just feeling a bit...." He paused, then carried on. "A bit on my own. It’s dumb really. I’ve been okay hardly ever talking to anyone sice we left High School, then you wander along and I suddenly feel better, like part of something. Then everyone has to go back to the good old ways."

Amy just let him talk. She thought he might feel better if he said it all and she listened. Suddenly, for the first time since she had met him, she remembered that Jonathan had tried to kill himself on one occasion and been stopped by Buffy. Willow had mentioned it to her while she was a rat.

"Okay, Jonathan, I won’t pretend I have the slightest idea what it’s like to be you, but surely you can sort through whatever it is. I mean, we’ll let you sit in on Coven meetings. You can help combat evil demons. It might even be fun. In?"

Jonathan thought about this for a few minutes. Finally, he said "In."

"Great. Now, does the offer of a home still stand?"

As Jonathan smiled and looked down, Amy stared at him, hoping to persuade him.

Finally, he smiled indulgently and said "Sure. Whatever."

"Great!" Amy grinned. I’ll just move my stuff in!"

She snapped her fingers.

"Did you just move your stuff in by magic?"

"No, I don’t have any stuff. I’ve been a rat for over six months."

"Oh yeah. Sorry, I forgot. Must be the lack of fur and a tail. So, what are we doing now?"

"Going to the hospital to ask Michael who attacked him."

"Oh yeah. That makes sense."

They left Jonathan’s house and began the walk to the hospital.

Tara asked Michael yet another question. He was starting to see all the questions blurring into one.

"So, they were anti-Coven vampires. Why do you think they’re doing this?"

"I dunno........."

"You have no idea?"

"I........I........"

"Michael?"

And then Michael passed out.

Tara sighed. Clearly the spell she had used to force him into consciousness was not able to fight against the extent of his injuries and the drugs the hospital had pumped into him for long.

As Tara turned to leave, Jonathan and Amy came in.

"How is he?"

Tara stood aside to allow them to see him. "He’s alright. Still out of it though. Had to use magic to get him awake for a few minutes."

"What did he tell you?"

"Nothing we didn’t know. Attacked by anti-Coven vampires. He doesn’t know why they were anti-Coven."

Amy thought for a few minutes.

"I guess that just leaves us Ethan’s plan then. Do the spell to form a Coven and see if the vamps come our way."

Jonathan interrupted at this point. "And do what exactly? Other than bleed excessively?"

Amy and Tara looked at each other.

"He has a point. Have any anti-vampire spells tucked away Tara?"

"Maybe. Lets get going."

The witches left the room. Jonathan got up from his seat and looked towards Michael.

"Seeya." Then he followed Amy and Tara.

Ethan set out all the necessary items for the spell to form a Coven. He also hid stakes and holy water in accessible locations around the room and hung a few crosses on the wall. He was ready. He reflected on the membership list. He had hoped to stumble across another powerful sorcerer or two to add to himself and Miss Madison, but he had wanted to find them himself, not have them thrust upon him. But Tara seemed powerful. She should do. As he lit the candles, there was a knock on the door.

He went to answer it.

"Ah, Miss Madison. Tara. How lovely to see you again. And you’ve brought your pet imp. Great."

"DON’T INSULT MY HEIGHT!"

"Try not to please Ethan," Amy whispered when Jonathan was looking away, "He’s a bit sensitive about that."

"Really," Ethan replied dryly, before motioning to the room where the casting was to be performed, "Let’s begin."

As they entered the room, Jonathan was becoming somewhat nervous, mainly about the possibility of being killed and having his blood drunk. As he sat on a chair on the outside of the room, those who had magical powers prepared to form a Coven.

The words were Latin, something Jonathan did not understand. They were chanting them quickly and monotonously, as if possessed by something other. Jonathan could tell something was happening. Then he heard a breaking window from outside. As energy started to flow in the magic circle, Amy broke from the trance-like state of casting as she too heard the vampires entering. Ethan and Tara remained in the trance. They said nothing, but merely seemed to wait for the spell to be finished. The spell continued to cast. Amy dashed to Jonathan.

"Jonathan! Someone’s cast a counter spell through our one. I broke off in time, but the other two are out of it! What do we do?"

"I dunno," replied Jonathan as he leapt to his feet, "Dial 01800-SLAYER?"

"Tempting." Amy collapsed onto a seat, only to leap up again. "OUCH! What was that?"

A search under the cushions revealed a stake. Further investigation revealed holy water and some more stakes.

"Great," commented Jonathan as he looked at one of the stakes, "Now we can at least look like we know what we’re doing."

Then they heard more noises. The vampires were searching the house. The noises were getting closer.

"Should we get those two out of the magic circle to somewhere safer?"

"No. We’ll see if we can buy the time for the spell to work in."

"Or just get killed."

The Vampire raiding party smashed through the house. They could sense magic nearby. Their Coven of sorcerers had cast a spell to cast all who were involved in the casting into a trance. Now these vampires just had to do the killing. They only had one door left, and converged on it with glee.

Amy and Jonathan hid in the corners and waited for the door to smash open. They had a stake in one hand and holy water in the other. The door, although locked, was only wooden, and was being smashed open by the vampires’ blows. The spell was growing stronger. The casting was only minutes away from being complete. Minutes they didn’t have. The door was torn off its hinges and the vampires flooded into the room.

"KILL THE ONES IN THE CIRCLE!"

As two of the five vampires reached for Ethan and Tara, a bottle of holy water was hurled across the room, then shattered with a magic spell when it was over their heads.

"YYEAAAARGHH!"

The vampires pulled back as their skin began to burn. The rest turned to face Amy. As they dived for her, she disappeared and reappeared on the other side of the room.

"Slow?"

As they advanced towards Amy, Jonathan leapt out from behind them.

"JONATHAN, DON’T!"

Before Amy’s words even registered. Jonathan plunged his stake into one vampire’s heart, then yanked it out. It crumbled into dust, and Jonathan smiled at his achievement, before he was backhanded into a wall. One vampire went to bite Jonathan, while the rest continued to advance at Amy.

In the hospital, Michael Kawer began to stir. He woke up with a yell, which brought a nurse running.

"Michael! Are you alright?"

"Fine. Can I go home now?"

The nurse looked appalled. "Absolutely not! You may be awake and feeling stronger, but you’re far from recovered. Rest some more, and I’ll bring you some food."

"Great." Muttered Michael as the Nurse left.

He traced a small circle in the air whilst muttering an incantation. The circle became a line of energy, and inside it was an image of what was happening at Ethan’s house.

Jonathan was doing his best, but the vampire was overwhelming him. Finally, it thrust its hand onto his neck and held him against the wall. Then it moved in for a bite.

Amy had put up a magical shield, which the vampires were having difficulty getting through. She held up her stake and concentrated hard. The stake began to levitate, then flew across the room at high speed and smacked into the vampire’s heart. It turned to dust. She smiled widely, and as Jonathan shouted his thanks, she didn’t notice a vampire muttering a spell. This spell broke down Amy’s shield, and she was attacked by the three surviving vampires. As one of them grabbed Amy, energy appeared around him. Then he flew backwards and was impaled on the arm of the chair Jonathan had been sitting on.

From his bed, Michael started to lean back. He was pale and sweating. The levitation spell on a vampire from such a distance had taken a lot out of him. As the magical window started to close, Amy saw him. She waved and shouted her thanks, and Michael acknowledged it with a smile, before the window closed and Michael passed out again.

Amy was cornered by two vampires. She was trying to mutter a spell, but one of the vampires punched her and broke it off. Jonathan tried to sneak up behind them and throw his holy water over them, but this time they saw him. He was again punched across the room, and this time he was rendered unconscious. The bottle of holy water broke and dribbled down his arm. One of the vampires grinned and made a grab form Amy’s hair, to pull her head back and leave her neck exposed. Amy moved, and the vampire’s hand grabbed one of the crosses Ethan had hung around the room. The vampires roared in pain and threw the cross away. Then there was an energy discharge all over the room. Amy and the vampires looked around and saw that the Coven spell had finally been cast. Ethan and Tara came out of their trance and looked up. Then they saw the vampires. Ethan backed up to where Jonathan was, and Tara muttered a spell. Then she held out her hands, and lines of energy came from them, going into the vampires’ chests and coming out of the other side harmlessly. Then Tara clenched her fists, and these beams became solid lines through the vampires’ hearts. They looked shocked as they exploded into dust. Tara smiled.

"So, did we miss anything?"

"Nothing much. So, are we now a Coven?"

"Guess so. Ethan?"

Ethan concentrated for a few seconds, then said "Yes. We are now the official Sunnydale Coven. Well done."

He looked down at the dust of the vampires. "Unlike them."

Amy was surprised. "You mean they wanted to be a Coven?"

"I’d think so. Use some magic to get easy food."

"Well," said Tara, "Losers."

At the cave, the leader of the vampiric Coven opened his eyes from his state of meditation and cried out in pain. One of his followers raced over.

"What is wrong, Master Adam?"

Adam stood up angrily. "Your brothers have failed in eliminating Ethan Rayne. They have successfully completed the spell."

"Shall we kill them for you?"

"No. We need to employ some help. I believe there are some people coming who may have us deal with Rayne and friends."

Amy strolled into Jonathan house. Jonathan followed behind, massaging the lump on his head.

"So, this is my new home. Nice. I could almost live here."

Before Jonathan could correct her, she added "Don’t say anything, Jonathan."

So he didn’t.

Amy went upstairs, lay down and thought for a while. "Yeah," she concluded, "this could almost work."

Ethan Rayne was having similar thoughts as he cleared up the damage done to his home by the vampire arrangement. He threw the final pieces of door into the trash, and smiled sarcastically.

"Yeah," he muttered, "they’ll do just fine."

Did you like this episode? E-Mail Nick and let him know!

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