------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer: This summary is the intellectual property of someone who wakes in the wee hours to crank these suckers out and he takes pride in his work and doesn't wish to see others take credit for it. Please feel free to link to www.leoffonline.com OR copy and paste this summary, giving credit to Leoff Online and his unofficial sponsor, the Buffy Cross and Stake. Thanks for your support and respect of my work.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayers in Training dying, Giles discovering his friend and about to get whacked, Dawn tells of her seeing mom to Willow, Willow explaining it's the big bad over scenes of Andrew killing Johnathan, Andrew and MorphyWarren walking, Willow capturing Andrew and bringing him back to the Summers home, Buffy telling Spike she believes in him, Bringers attacking the Summers home, MorphyBuffy introduces Spike to a "real vampire."

"It's a loop. It's like the Mummy hand. I'm doomed to replace these windows for all eternity" Xander remarks as he looks at the broken windows. Still nighttime in the Summers living room which is still torn to shreds from the previous attack of the Bringers. The Scoobies have ignored most of the mess and, despite signs of exhaustion, are researching, with Willow at her laptop, Dawn, Anya, and Buffy booking it, Andrew tied up in a corner in a to a chair unconscious, and Xander sweeping broken glass. Anya and Willow find nothing in the books and ask Buffy if she's sure the... whatever... called itself the first. Buffy tells them that's what it claimed, and after Anya hints that it was probably just demon boasting, Buffy says she felt it before and it was old and big. She says it nearly got Angel to kill himself and they've got to work fast or the same thing might happen to Spike. Xander wonders why Andrew's still out of it, to which Dawn wonders if he's faking. She gets up and moves to Andrew and punches him hard, but no reaction. Dawn goes to whap him again but Buffy stops her. Dawn sits down in a huff "Anya gets to hit him..." Willow gets momentarily excited, finding something about the First, but it turns out to be the first bank of Delaware. Buffy now looks very frustrated as she asks one of the others for a book. Buffy takes the book from an unseen person, and we here Joyce's voice, asking Buffy if she needs anything else, perhaps some tea.

Buffy looks up at her mother with happiness for a moment, then she becomes hard "you're not real." Buffy says she's the first, but Joyce ignores the comment, saying that Buffy's tired and should get some rest. Buffy is tossed between wanting to believe it's her mother and thinking it's the First. Joyce then tells her that she must wake up. "You're dreaming" says Xander. Buffy is shaken awake by Xander's voice. Everything is as it was, and Joyce is nowhere to be found. Buffy asks if Xander saw "it", but he just chalks it up to her dreaming.

Across a cavern floor a Spike is being dragged. Someone is being pulled by the new ugly UberVamp (from the end of the last episode). The cavern is lit by fire. Spike ain't looking too good. He's pale and still has lots of cuts on his body. In appears the first in the form of a perfectly healthy, normal Spike. MorphyDru makes a "kick the Spike" comment and then morphs into Drusilla! Drusilla starts demeaning Spike as the UberVamp starts kicking Spike HARD. "Till then, we'll have our way with this one. Got it coming, he does." says MorphyDru as the UberVamp looks really mean and closes in on Spike again, who howls in pain.

Opening Credits: Nothing new.

In the Summers home, it's now daytime. We see Andrew sitting unconscious until SPLASH, a bunch of water hits him dead in the face. A LITTLE reaction, but not much. Anya and Dawn stand over him with an empty cup. Anya's bummed it didn't do anything. Dawn suggests maybe using hot water. Buffy walks into the room and both Anya and Dawn plop onto the couch, trying to act like they didn't do anything. The act over obvious, saying they weren't doing anything without Buffy asking. Just then Andrew stirs. "Oh! Look who's awake!" Comments Dawn. Andrew awakes, choking on water, then seeing Buffy, thanks her for saving him. Buffy looks at him somewhat uncaring and says that if he doesn't tell them what they want to know, they're going to offer him to the First for dinner. "The first what?" Andrew asks, not knowing what they're talking about. Anya and Dawn explain it to him, but he complains that it doesn't sound very ominous, "... like Lex or Voldimort..." Buffy interrupts, asking where the seal is.

Now walking in the basement of Sunnydale High, Andrew leads Xander, Buffy, and Dawn to the seal. He apparently got them lost a few times, but they finally find it. "Look at the goat heady badness" comments Xander upon seeing it. Buffy asks what it does, but Andrew says he doesn't know, it didn't work because there wasn't enough blood. Dawn sees the toucher wheel off on the side and comments how there's lots of blood on it. "Looks like the first made another sacrifice, or a music video..." Buffy thinks that what Spike was taken for. Andrew starts to get nervous, saying the wheel wasn't there before and he had nothing to do with it. Xander gets in his face "Thanks for clearing that up. 'Cause otherwise we might have thought you were up to no good here at the satanic manhole cover. YOU KILLED YOUR BEST FRIEND!" Andrew says Johnathan told him he was in a place of joy and peace, but Xander corrects him, saying he got tricked by a fake ghost. Buffy shuts the two up and hands them shovels, saying they can't leave the seal exposed, it's too dangerous. All four start to work on burying the seal.

"Man, this place gives me the creeps. It's like in Wonder Woman, issue 297-299" says Andrew as they walk through the corridors, starting to exit

"Catacombs. Yeah. With the skeleton." Chimes in Xander cheerfully.

"That was cool."

"That was cool." Xander agrees, smiling, but then quickly gets tough, having spotted his geekyness."This way" he says as he pushes Andrew forward. Dawn and Buffy walk behind with Buffy still carrying a shovel. Dawn asks Buffy what now, with Spike being taken by the First. Buffy starts to explain but then, turning a corner, they bump into Principal Wood, who also carries a shovel. Wood nervously says he thought Buffy was sick, but Dawn goes into a over-informational description of how sick Buffy was, and saying with the help of some pills, Buffy's better. Buffy then notices the shovel in Wood's hand, which he explains away as someone having left it in the courtyard. Wood notices the shovel in Buffy's hand, which she quick-thinkingly passes off as helping Dawn with a school project, burying a time capsule. "Hello people of the future, kids today like Red Bull and Jackass!" Dawn remarks nervously. Buffy and Dawn turn to go, but Wood holds them up, hoping that Buffy will be back to work soon, as he's got a bit of a backup with kids wanting to talk to her. Buffy assures him she'll be there, she's all better. Both parties turn to leave, and Buffy looks suspiciously over her shoulder, the same as Wood does.

Back at the Summers home (hard to tell, looks like evening), Buffy and Xander go over what's happening. Dawn is researching the Seal of Danzathar on the laptop while Anya helps Willow prepare a locator spell to find the First, lighting candles and such on the dining room table. Xander tells Buffy she should get some rest, she's been up for two days, but Buffy shakes it off, saying she wants to know what's up and will wait to see. Willow sprinkles magic power in a circle on a map. Buffy starts to tell Xander how powerful the First looked, but then BOOF! A magical explosion comes from Willow, sending Anya flying against the wall and driving Dawn from her chair.

The wind picks up and Willow stands, hair flying and a eery orange glowing vapor enters her nostrils from a spell-casting bowl in front of her. Buffy looks on wide-eyed as Willow looks up, reminiscent of her Dark Willow persona, with black eyes and black hair. Then from her mouth, the form of the First comes out, with huge horns and glowing, demonic eyes (trust me, folks. It looks REAL cool). Willow opens her mouth again and orange lightning comes out, sending Buffy flying into the front hall with a blast. "You will only make me stronger!" Willow says in a demonic voice. Xander then rushes over, grabs the glowing spell bowl, and smashes it against the wall. Willow collapses as Buffy rushes over to her. Willow panics "It's still in me, I feel it..." Buffy tries to calm her, telling her it's ok, it's not in her. Willow is very panicked, saying she can't use magic, she doesn't want to hurt people. Buffy tells her they won't use magic to fight the First and still tries to calm her.

Her mind set, Buffy is preparing to go out spur of the moment and find the First to do battle. Xander tries to convince her to let someone go with, but she refuses, saying she'll tackle it alone. Buffy opens the front door to find... Giles! Giles stands there, smiling, as Buffy gets joyfully wide eyed. She starts forward to hug Giles, but a girl jumps in between them, heading into the house "Bit of a mess" she says in a British accent. Another follows close behind, then a third, pausing to look at Buffy. "This is the Slayer?" she says looking Buffy up and down. "huh..." she says as she continues in. Confused, Buffy looks at Giles, who smiles "I'm afraid we have a slight apocalypse..."

Commercial Break: Windex makes it SHINE!

"They're all Slayers?" Dawn asks, looking at the three new girls who stand in a line before them all, slightly uncomfortable at the situation. Giles says that they're potential Slayers, waiting to be called. He says that there were many more like them, but most have been killed off, the remaining few are on their way to Sunnydale. "They were all murdered" says Buffy as we get a flashback of the IstanbulSIT's death. "In cold blood" says Giles, as we get a flashback of the Frankfurt SIT's death, "along with their watchers" he adds as we see a glimpse of Giles talking to his watcher friend who lays near death. Giles continues to tell that the Watchers Council always feared something like this would happen, something erasing all the Slayers in Training, along with their watchers, and methods. "And then Faith, and then me" adds Buffy.

Willow says they're stuck, not finding any information on the First, no documentation of any sort. Giles says that's because it pre-dates the written word. The only info to be found was in the Council library. Anya asks what the Counsel has to say about all of this. Giles gets a pained look on his face. "Gone. Obliterated. They were in session and there was an explosion." Willow asks about all the counsels records, to which Giles looks at one of the SIT's, calling Annabelle's name. Annabelle (a British red-head, hair like Dawns, average looking) pulls open a backpack and produces two books and some files, laying them on the table. Giles says that's what's left of the mystic secrets of the Watchers, along with the little information he could find on the First. All look at Giles, puzzled. Giles admits that when he learned what was going on, he stole the files. Anya looks shocked "and you blew up the counsel! See, this is what happens when you get all stuffy and repressed! You overreact." Giles corrects her, saying that it probably was an agent of the First that set the explosion after his little burglary session. He explains he had to protect the knowledge in the files, with no time for beauacracy or debate with the Counsel. "And it cost them their lives!" Andrew blurts out from a corner, still tied to a chair, trying to get involved. Everyone just looks at him until Buffy motions Xander to gag Andrew.

Buffy asks what the files say. Giles says very little: The First can change form, can only appear in theguise of someone who has passed away, and that it's non-corporeal, not being able to touch or be touched. It fights through those it tricks or through it's servants, the Bringers. "those freaks in the black robes" says Kennedy (SIT number 2, a bit shorter than the others, no British accent, jeans jacket, dark wavy hair.)

"Yeah. With the hoodies and the crazy alphabet eyes. I didn't see. I just heard that..." says SIT number 3, Molly (Cockney accent, brunette with long pigtails, colorful pinkish jacket, kinda girlish-punk). Annabelle hushes Molly as Giles continues. He says this is bigger than anything they've faced before. "There's evil, then there's the thing that created it." Giles is very serious in saying that he's not sure how they can beat it. He fears for the Slayer line being extinguished and the hellmouth having no guardian. Giles looks at Buffy and says that they'll help how they can but it all falls to her to protect the girls, and the world against what's coming.

"But no pressure..." Xander quips. Kennedy starts to get a little freaked out, wondering if that's the plan, having no plan, relying on the Slayer? She says the First had her Watcher torn apart, and now it's coming for them, and that it might not be such a great idea to be sitting ON the hellmouth. Annabelle hushes Kennedy's tirade, but Buffy agrees, saying that they need more muscle, and that they need to find Spike. "Yeah, he'll help. If he's not crazy. Or killing people. Or dead. Or, you know, all of the above." comments Anya.

Spike's head is thrust into a pool of dirty water in the cave. We see him struggle for a bit, bubbles coming from his mouth, then he goes limp. (and please, I've seen the debates... I don't know about the breath/vampire thing, so don't ask) MorphyDru looks on as the UberVamp holds Spike under. He then picks him up and throws him out of the pool. "That's why our kind make such good dollys" MorphyDru quips as Spike gurgles up a mouthful of water "hard to kill..." MorphyDru comments on how Spike tried to spill the secrets to Buffy, but he won't be able to now. In her usual wacked-out manner, MorphyDru lightly flirts with Spike, then says they're not done with him yet. She clicks her tounge as the UberVamp smiles and growls evilly, picking Spike up and plunging his head into the water again.

Giles walks with Buffy down a nighttime Sunnydale street. He questions her on the Christmas tree lot (from Amends) where she saw the First years ago, but she says it was actually in caves underneath. As they walk, they pass Christmas lights and decorations, and Buffy comments how she almost forgot the time of the year, and wonders if they should go home and decorate the rubble. She wonders if he'll ever come back for a real visit. "If we survive this, I promise" he says. "Good, 'cause I miss you." She says emotionally. "I miss you too" he responds.

"So how long have you followed Buffy?" Andrew asks. Xander says that he doesn't follow Buffy, she's his best friend. "She seems like she'd be a good leader" Andrew continues "her hair is shiny. Does she make you stab things?"

Willow is trying to make bedding arrangements, setting up the couch for one of the SIT. Kennedy tells Willow that it's not a good idea to have Molly sleep in Dawn's room, Molly will talk her ear off. Willow has the idea of Molly downstairs, Annabelle in Willow's room, and Kennedy in Dawns. Kennedy says bad idea, Annabelle snores. Willow gives up and hands a stack of blankets and sheets to Kennedy, saying she can figure it out. "Ok" Kennedy says, smiling. She heads upstairs, but turns to Willow with a smirk "you'd better not hog the covers." Willow is thrown, not knowing what to think or do. Was that a flirt?

Dawn comes into Willow (still thrown) saying that Annabelle and Molly are looking for food, and that she burned the Mac and Cheese. Dawn says they can try and pass it off as something "Blackened" but as they walk into the kitchen, Anya is tossing the Mac and Cheese in the garbage. Willow suggests pizza. "As long as it's plain, I'm Veggie" says Annabelle. Molly says Annabelle's cracked, then spots a box of cookies. Dawn, Willow, Annabelle, and Molly all dive into the box. (at this point someone is mumbling in the background. I'm assuming it's Anya, who is at the sink doing dishes. it sounds like complaining, but honestly, you can't tell WHAT she's saying. I think it's a last-minute voiceover).

Out at a Christmas Tree lot, Giles and Buffy walk, searching for the entrance to the cave. Buffy says it looks familiar as Giles walks away a little bit. CRUNCH! "Found it" calls out Buffy up from the cave mouth. The entrance was covered by boards and leaves. Giles calls down to her to see if she's ok. She says yes and gets up to look around, telling Giles to stay up above.

Buffy begins to walk and look around, but with each step she grows more curious and wary. She feels something is following her, and we see glimpses of fast moving shadows moving behind her. She looks behind her, then turning her head, out of nowhere, the UberVamp appears! He snarls and with his first punch to her chest, Buffy is sent flying a good 6 feet into a cave wall. The fight begins, and at first it seems somewhat equal, but slowly we learn that this UberVamp is quick, and strong, and damn good, blocking and dodging every punch and kick Buffy throws. Buffy gets hit and dive rolls a little distance away, pulling out a stake. The UberVamp attacks, and Buffy jams the stake in it's heart. The UberVamp staggers... but doesn't dust! It stands there, grinning evilly, and looks at Buffy coldly as it pulls out the stake. Buffy's face turns cold from shock.

Commercial Break: The Nissan 350z. Buy it. It's the coolest car! It goes fast! It looks keen! Damn, it's sexy, too!

The UberVamp attacks again, and this time it is mostly a one sided battle. Buffy is on the defensive, trying to block and dodge, but she is grabbed, thrown into cave walls, slashed with her own stake, and gets her hand crushed by a blocked, caught punch. The UberVamp grabs her by the throat and raises her up, but Buffy out of desperation grabs a nearby stalactite (stalagmite? whichever one points down) and bops the UberVamp on the head with it. She then rushes over to the open cave ceiling where she fell through and starts to scramble up the side. She reaches the top and starts to claw her way out, but UberVamp has other ideas, grabbing her ankle and dragging her back down. On the way down she kick him again and scrambles up again. The UberVamp follows, and just as he's about to crawl out of the hole, Giles is seen, or rather a silhouette of Giles standing in front of a new day's dawn (it's kinda weird, like Giles appearing to glow for a second, but I don't wanna read into anything). The UberVamp shades it's eyes and crawls back down below in the pit.

Morning at the Summer's home, Buffy and Giles walk in early to find all three SIT's in the kitchen, eagerly munching away on breakfast stuffs. They notice that Buffy looks a little bit shaken. Buffy says she just got in a little fight, but doesn't know with what and asks Giles. Giles wonders if this conversation shouldn't be private, motioning to the SIT's. "You mean not in front of the next generation? No time to coddle them, Giles. Welcome to the war room, guys." Buffy says to the SIT's, which perks their interest (and sends Annabelle grabbing a pad and paper to make notes.). Giles tells Buffy that what she fought was a Turok-Han, the Neanderthal equivalent of a Vampire. They're animalistic and vicious, and are "The vampires that vampires fear." Giles says that they're an entirely different race and, up until that morning, the thought they were a myth. Buffy wonders if it's a co-incidence that the Turok-han and the First are both appearing now. Giles says it's more likely the UberVamp is an agent of the First. "Um... did you slay it?" Asks Annabelle, a little nervously. "No, it's still out there somewhere..." Buffy says, defeatedly. She tells them that Sunlight seems to be keeping the UberVamp at bay, which gets Giles to suggest that Buffy get some sleep. Buffy says she can't, she's got to work and do research at the same time. Buffy then turns to the SIT's and apologizes that there's not much more to do than sit tight for now. Buffy heads out to work as Giles asks how she's going to research "something as ill-defined as the First?" Buffy says she has ways...

"evil" is typed out on an internet search engine (hard to tell which one... not Google, I know that). Buffy is at work, on the phone with one of the Scoobies as she types. She says she re-checked the basement for clues but found nothing. She then hits enter on her search, hoping that the First isn't ready for modern technology. "Displaying results 1-10 of 900,517" She'll try and narrow the search a bit. She hangs up and continues searching as Principal Wood walks up behind her and reads her screen. "Manifestations of Evil" he reads... then Buffy types further "in the movies". She tries to cover, saying that she's just looking for some movies to rent. "I just love those evil, evil movies" she says. "As opposed to Rob Schnieder's Oeuvre." Wood says. Buffy then sits across from Buffy, saying that he's not a fan of scary movies, thinking it takes kids to a place they shouldn't be. Buffy says "it's not for the kids. Wood suddenly gets a little too serious, saying "once you see true evil, it can have some serious afterburn, and you can't unsee what you saw... Ever. It's just one opinion." Then he gets up and his mood lightens a tad. Buffy asks him what kind of movies he likes as he's leaving. Without turning towards her, he answers "Mysteries. I love finding out what's underneath it all at the very end."

"Think of it as a game, a fun, funny game." MorphyDru looks down on Spike, who is somehow pinned or chained to a cave rock. Her tone is SLIGHTLY "Drusilla-ish", but there's something a hint more serious within her. She is talking about sides, wondering which side Spike will take, and startsgyrating in front of him, flirting with him. "You're not Drusilla" Spike says coldly, which sends MorphyDru into evil laughter. "She was crazier than you..." he finishes. MorphyDru is hurt a bit, but comes back and starts flirting with Spike again, sniffing him, smelling him, then nodding off to the side. The UberVamp punches Spike on the side of the face HARD. MorphyDru says that Spike's been bad, and wants him to choose a side as the UberVamp slugs him again. Spike, beaten to a pulp, says slowly, meaningfully "Dru... love... get bent." "Stupid, stubborn Daddy" MorphyDru pulls back as the UberVamp starts punching the crap out of Spike (I counted 9 hits before they cut away).

At the School, Buffy goes into a washroom and checks herself out in the mirror. There is a cut on her forehead (that Wood did not see because her hair was covering it) and she checks her arm which is all bruised and cut. "honey, what happened?" says Joyce from behind as a hand reaches out to tend to Buffy's arm. We suddenly see Buffy in her home's bathroom, with Joyce looking concerned at Buffy. Buffy says her arm is ok. Joyce says she has to rest, has to heal. Buffy says she can't, there's no time. Joyce counters by asking if Buffy's worried about the sun going down? She can't control the setting of the sun. Buffy says her friends need her, which has Joyce remark that her friend are always putting too much pressure on her. Buffy says evil is coming. Joyce then says that evil is already here, it always has been here, and it's a natural part of everyone. "No one can stop it, not even..."

Joyce's voice trails off with the ringing of a school bell. Buffy awakes at her desk to find herself staring at a teen boy. Buffy apologizes and asks what they were talking about, but the boy says she doesn't care, just like all the others, and he gets up to leave. Buffy tries to get him back, apologizing and trying to call after him, trying to remember his name. Her head sinks in her hands as Principal Wood watches from his office, coldly looking at Buffy.

Picking out weapons from the weapons chest, Willow and Dawn are getting ready as Giles gives a time check of when the sun will set (17 min). Buffy watches as Xander finishes nailing up boards against the main living room windows, the three SIT's sit nervously on the couch as Xander says his little joke-speech: "Hey. Junior Slayers. Don't look so worried. I mean, sure, we may not know where Spike is, or how to fight The First, or if and when this Super-style vampire is gonna attack us all, however, house. Boarded up. All we gotta do now is trap this UberVamp in the pantry and it's game over." Willow tries to calm the now shaken SIT's, telling Xander to ease up on the newbies with the whole jokes in the face of death thing. "Who's joking?" Xander finishes "That pantry thing could work. You saying M. Night Shamyalan lied to us?"

Willow then turns to Buffy and tries to apologize for earlier, with everything going all arrrr and eeeee and eeerrrr and stuff, and her wanting to help out but not. Buffy says it's ok. Willow says "I have so much power, but when I try to use it..." "Don't" Buffy says, and again tells her it's ok. Buffy turns to go, but Willow says that Buffy needs help. She knows her friend and Buffy won't ask for help, even when she needs it. Buffy says she'll be ok.

Just then Kennedy has a request: weapons. She's wondering why the SIT's can't use weapons. Annabelle says that they'll get weapons when the Slayer says they're ready. Molly says she's ready, but Annabelle says she's scared. Kennedy says she knows what could help: Weapons! She says they're sitting ducks without them. Annabelle says they're safe in the house with the Slayer. Kennedy retorts that she look around at the house and points out the boarded up windows. "It'll be coming straight for us" mumbles Annabelle, her mind changing. "We should load them up Giles." says Buffy and the three SIT's dash for the weapons chest.

Andrew still sits tied up as he remarks he has a bad feeling about the situation and that he'd better be untied. Buffy wonders how that will help them. Andrew admits that they probably think of him as some sort of evil bad guy but he's not anymore. Buffy and the gang head out of the room as Andrew continues to babble on about how he's like Vader in the last few moments of Jedi, only ending with... "These ropes itch..."

In a side room, Buffy and Giles watch as the sun slowly sets. Giles says that everyone is ok and that they understand that Buffy is calling the shots. "Not exactly what I wanted to hear" she quips. Just then Molly enters with disturbing news: Annabelle has split.

Outside, night, Annabelle runs frantically down a side street, along side a factory. She clutches a cross that hangs around her neck and nervously looks behind her. Turning a corner, she runs right into the UberVamp, who doesn't even give her time to scream. He snarls evilly, grabs her by the neck, lifts her up. We see the pavement and hear a "crunch" of breaking bones and then see the crucifix fall to the ground.

Commercial Break: I told my good friends at the Succubus Club I'd advertise their site, but they didn't respond to the e-mail I never sent, so I'm not gonna. Nyah Nyah... PTBPTB

Buffy arrives on the scene to find Annabelle laying dead, the cross laying next to her body. Suddenly from above, the UberVamp strikes, sending Buffy to the ground hard. It's now that she turns with a terrified look on her face and has a REAL good look at the UberVamp (who of course is all fangy and such). She goes to kick, and misses. Punches, and misses. The UberVamp is fast, and strikes her hard in the stomach. He then grabs her by the throat and lifts her up, but Buffy spits a big mouthful of blood in his face, distracting him. He drops her and she takes off, visibly limping. Licking the blood off his face and fingers, the UberVamp pursues.

Note: the next scenes are very, very reminiscent of "Terminator", complete with setting and similar music. It's too much a co-incidence, and I think it might be more an homage.

Buffy limps desperately into a factory as the UberVamp walks after her, snarling all the way. He follows her in and out of machinery (printing presses or something?) and she is limping the entire way. Turning a corner, he loses her momentarily. She pops up behind and hits UberVamp with a pipe, but it barely affects him. He starts throwing punches and kicks, leveling Buffy, really letting her have it. He sends her flying a small distance away then approaches. Buffy notices a dangling pallets of heavy pipes above the UberVamp and hits a release lever next to her. The pallet falls and WHAM, flattens the UberVamp! Buffy gets up and starts to limp away, panicked, but then she hears noise behind her. The UberVamp rises from amongst the pipes, unscathed! He jumps to the pursuit as Buffy takes off and he quickly catches up to her in an outside area again. He grabs her and throws her into a wall, punches her, kicks her, once again beating the crap out of her, then he sends her flying into and THROUGH a cynderblock wall! Dust and debris cover her slowly as the image goes black.

Then the moonlight shines on her face again as the rubble is removed. Xander, Giles, and Willow look down in horror at a motionless Buffy. "Oh god almighty" says Xander.

"Do you know why you're alive?" MorphyDru addresses Spike, but now her tone is drop dead serious, no wavering or crazy ramblings. "you're alive for one reason, and for one reason only. Because I wish it." MorphyDru looks down on a badly beaten yet snarky Spike, who says he's through being a puppet for whatever she is. "And what makes you think you have a choice? What makes you think you will ever be any good at all in this world?" MorphyDru says, quite agitated.

"She does. Because she believes in me." Spike says, looking right at MorphyDru.

Up in her room, Buffy sits on her bed, staring blankly at a wall, bruised and bandaged up, as we hear Willow and Giles talk downstairs about how badly Buffy was beaten. Giles thinks there may be internal bleeding.

Giles continues, still downstairs in the dining room, addressing the troops (Dawn, Xander, Anya, Willow, and the two remaining SIT's Molly and Kennedy). He talks about how this situation is unusual and that without Buffy they're now back to square one. "I don't know if we can fight it." he says, exasperated.

Buffy suddenly appears at the dining room entrance, looking battered but still strong. "We don't know how to fight it. We don't know when it'll come. Can't run, can't hide... can't pretend it's not the end 'cause it is. Something has always been there to try and destroy the world. We've beaten them back, but we're not dealing with them anymore. We're dealing with the reason they exist. Evil. The strongest. The First."

Giles interrupts "Buffy, I know you're tired..."

"I'm beyond tired. I'm beyond scared. I'm standing on the mouth of Hell and it's going to swallow me whole..."

Suddenly her mood changes. "and it'll choke on me. We're not ready? THEY'RE not ready. They think we're gonna wait for the end to come, like we always do, I'm done waiting. They want an apocalypse? We'll give 'em one. Anyone else who wants to run do it now, because we just became an army. We just declared war. From now on we won't just face our worst fears, we will seek them out. We will find them and cut out their hearts, one by one, until the First shows itself for what it is. And I will kill it myself. There's only one thing on this earth more powerful than evil. And that's us."

She looks around at her "army"

"Any questions?"

Grrr... Arrrg...
 

Back to Episode Analysis