Overall Rating: 8.55 Matt: 8.2 Eric: 8.9 Written by: Howard Gordon & Marti Noxon Directed by: David Solomon Cast : Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers, Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris, Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg, Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase, Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles, and David Boreanaz as Angel. Guest stars : Seth Green as Oz, James Marsters as Spike, Juliet Landau as Druscilla, Armin Shimerman as Principal Snyder, and Bianca Lawson as Kendra. Original broadcast date: Nov. 17, 1997. Sunnydale High School. Willow comes over to join Buffy and Xander, who are completing their Œcareer aptitude¹ tests. Buffy says she wouldn¹t have bothered, only Principal Snyder insisted. She already knows her destiny. In Spike¹s lair, Druscilla deals tarot cards, while Dalton tries to transcribe the text that was stolen from Giles at the library. He is having trouble with it, and Spike loses patience. It is supposed to reveal the way to return Dru to full strength. She reads in the cards that it¹s written in code, and tells Spike that the key to decipher it is hidden in a mausoleum somewhere in SunnydaleŠ That night, while on patrol, Buffy comes across Dalton stealing something from a mausoleum. She waits outside for him, but is attacked by another vamp. By the time she has managed to dust him, Dalton has fled. She goes home to find Angel in her room, and bites his head off because she¹s in a bad mood. Apologizing, Buffy explains about the career week at school. She knows that she has no future, and just wants a normal life. Angel picks up a photo of her ice skating when she was five. She tells him she loved to skate, but hasn¹t done so in years. Angel offers to take her tomorrow night. He knows a rink that¹s closed every TuesdayŠ At school the next morning, the results of the tests are posted. Cordy has been listed as a personal shopper or motivational speaker, and laughs when she sees what career choice Xander has been given. Willow and Buffy discuss her impending date with Angel. Xander comes over all upset because his test result says Œprison guard¹. When Buffy laughs, he informs her that hers says Œpolice¹. Sulking, she goes off to meet Giles. Willow asks Xander what seminar she is attending, but he tells her that her name wasn¹t listed. Buffy meets Giles in the library and tells him about the vamps last night. He criticizes her for not trying to discover what they were stealing. She sarcastically says Œsomething old¹, and reminds him that she didn¹t ask for this job. She is going to be the Slayer until she dies ­ she has no choice. Druscilla and Spike look at the large, gold cross that Dalton has stolen. With it he will able to decipher the text. Dalton tells Spike that the Slayer almost spoiled the plan again, and Spike says he is going to hire the Order of Taraka. Dalton asks if this is overkill, but Spike says it¹s just kill enough! The school careers fair. Snyder is looking for Buffy, and is annoyed when Wil and Xander can¹t help. Xander goes of to his lecture on being a prison guard, and Willow is approached by two men in suits. They take her to a curtained off area where she is offered canapes. She is told that she has been selected to meet with Mr McCarthy ­ the head recruiter for a leading software company. Only one other student has managed to meet their requirements. It is Oz! The men leave them alone. Buffy and Giles are walking through the cemetery to the mausoleum. He asks if she¹s considered a career in law-enforcement, and she gets mad. They reach their destination, and Giles discovers that it is a reliquary (a place that is used to house relics of religious significance). It contains the body of Josephus Du Lac, leader of a sect that was excommunicated. He recalls that the book that was stolen was also written by Du Lac. It was said to contain dark magic, but couldn¹t be translated as it was written in code. They realize that whatever the vamps took probably breaks that code. At Sunnydale bus depot, a leather-clad man disembarks from a bus. He wears steel toed boots, and is missing an eyeŠ A salesman knocks on the door of the house opposite Buffy¹s. He introduces himself as Norman Pfister with Blush Beautiful Cosmetics. The woman invites him in when he offers free samples, but screams as soon as the door is closed behind him! A plane lands at Sunnydale airport, and one of the baggage handlers finds a stowaway. The strikingly beautiful Caribbean girl knocks him out with a kick, and sneaks off the plane. In the library Giles is telling the scoobies about the ŒDu Lac Cross¹. Several were created as decoders, but all were destroyed except the one buried with Josephus. Giles decides that they have to discover what was in the book. It¹s imperative that they know what the vamps are up to. Remembering her date with Angel, Buffy backs out of the research evening. She says that she¹s not much good at research anyway. Buffy skates gracefully around the ice rink, not noticing the one-eyed man from the bus as he comes in. The bounty hunter attacks her, pulling her from the ice and trying to choke her. Angel runs over and pulls him off, but the man seems too strong for the vampire. He takes Angel by the neck, and lifts him off his feet. Buffy grabs some netting and uses it to swing her legs high. The blades from her skates slit the man¹s throat, and he hits the ice, dead. Druscilla has three tarot cards in front of her. She takes the one of the cyclops and turns it face down. Left on the table are two cards ­ one of a giant centipede, and one of a panther. Angel notices the ring that their assailant was wearing, and insists that Buffy needs to get somewhere safe. She is more concerned, however, with the cut on his face. Angel still has his vamp face on, and doesn¹t want her to touch him like that. She says that she hadn¹t even noticed, and the two of them kiss. They don¹t realize that the girl from the plane is watching them now. Back at the library, Buffy recounts the story. She shows Giles the ring, and says that it really freaked Angel out. Giles has a similar reaction, saying that the ring is worn by the Order of Taraka. They are a society of assassins dating back to King Solomon. None of them have earthly desires except to eliminate their target. However many she kills, more will come until she is dead. He agrees with Angel that Buffy needs to hide. Some of the assassins are human, and some of them are not. She probably won¹t know them until they attack! Norman Pfister watches Buffy¹s house through a pair of binoculars. Beside him lies the body of the woman who let him in. A trail of maggots leads from the body to where Norman sits, and start to crawl up him. They move along his arm, and form a hand, which then becomes flesh. Buffy is tense and nervous as she walks through the school corridor. Everyone around her seems like a threat! Hearing a locker slam behind her, she turns to see Oz, and pins him against the wall. She quickly realizes her mistake, and lets him go. In the library that evening, Willow, Xander and Giles are concerned about Buffy. No-one has been able to contact her, and her Mum is out of town. Xander says he's rung several times. She didn¹t go back homeŠ Buffy arrives at Angel¹s home. He isn¹t there, but she still feels safe. She lies down on his bed, and goes to sleep. Angel is at Willy¹s bar trying to get some information. Under the threat of violence Willy tells him that Spike sent the assassins. Before he can say any more, the girl from the plane kicks Angel to the floor. She snaps Willy¹s broom in two, and uses it as a stake! Angel rolls out of the way, but after a fight she manages to lock him in a cage. It is similar to the one at the library, but contains drinks instead. She tells him that she¹s going to kill Buffy next, and points to a nearby window. In a few hours the sun will be up, and there will be nowhere for Angel to hideŠ As the sun rises, Giles is still in the library. He phones Xander and asks him to get Cordelia to drive him to Buffy¹s house. She has to be found! Willow is asleep at the computer, and Giles gently wakes her. He tells her that the Du Lac book contains a ritual on how to restore a sickly vampire to health. Dalton hands Spike the completed transcript, and he shows it to Druscilla. She says her cure has been right there in front of them all this time! She turns another tarot card over, and it has a picture of an angelŠ Xander and Cordy arrive at Buffy¹s home, and break in when they get no reply. Xander goes upstairs, and moments later there¹s a knock on the door. Cordelia opens it. It is Norman Pfister! He offers her free samples, and she invites him in. Buffy wakes up in Angel¹s bed just as the Caribbean girl attacks. They fight, but seem evenly matched. As they both stand ready in a fighting stance, she asks her opponent¹s name. ŒKendra, the vampire slayer¹ comes the reply! To be continuedŠ