BUFFY: It's about power. Who's got it. Who knows how to use it. So... Who's got the power, Dawn?

DAWN: Well, I've got the stake.

BUFFY: The stake is not the power.

DAWN: But he's new. He doesn't know his strength. H-he might not know all those fancy martial arts skills they inevitably seem to pick up.

BUFFY: Who's got the power?

DAWN: (sigh) He does.

BUFFY: Never forget it. Doesn't matter how well prepped you are or how well armed you are. You're a little girl.

DAWN: Woman!

BUFFY: Little woman.

DAWN: I'm taller than you.

BUFFY: He's a vampire, OK? Demon. Preternaturally strong. Skilled with powers no human could possibly ever--

VAMPIRE: Excuse me. I think I'm stuck.

BUFFY: You're stuck?

VAMPIRE: My foot's caught on a root or something, and... I don't even know how I got down there. If you girls could just give me a hand...

DAWN: Hm. So, he's got the power?

BUFFY: Zip it.

VAMPIRE: I really appreciate it. It's just it's so dark, and I don't even know what I'm doing here. (Buffy hauls him up) Whoa. Ooh. Thanks. That was a help. Unfortunately it was the last-- (Buffy grabs him) thing you'll ever do.

BUFFY: Listen up. I'm the slayer. You don't want to get into it with me. You want blood? You can have hers. (to Dawn) Power. He's got it. He's going to use it. You don't have it, so -- (Dawn flips the vamp)--use that. Perfect.

(Dawn tries to stake, misses, gets grabbed)

DAWN: Buffy!

(Buffy intervenes, beheads the vamp)

BUFFY: It's real. It's the only lesson, Dawn. It's always real. Let me see.

DAWN: It's nothing, it's just a scrape. Plus, I had a plan the whole time.

BUFFY: Really?

DAWN: Yeah, I planned to get killed, come back as a vampire, and bite you.

BUFFY: You wanted to be trained.

DAWN: Well, just the next time when you're gonna disa--

BUFFY: You did pretty well.

DAWN: I did?

BUFFY: Yeah.

DAWN: 'Cause, you know, with the whole rolling thing, I was actually using his strength, and it was very tai chi. Plus I nearly got the heart.

BUFFY: My first time out, I missed the heart too.

DAWN: No way.

BUFFY: Just the once.

DAWN: Well, the next vampire I meet--

BUFFY: The next vampire you meet, you run away. I just wish that was all we had to worry about. Vampires, demons... they're nothing compared to what's coming.

DAWN: I know. I just can't believe it's back.

BUFFY: Believe me, I thought I was long past it. I guess you never are. Just a few more days 'til it starts. Then we'll never know what's coming next.

Cut to Sunnydale High opening ceremony:

PRINCIPAL WOOD: It is my great pleasure and privilege to announce the official opening--on the very ground that it first stood upon--of the brand new state of the art Sunnydale High!

• Buffy & Dawn

written by: Joss Whedon; Transcribed by: CariCranberry. Full transcript at:
http://www.buffyworld.com/buffy/season7/transcripts/123_tran.php