(Cut to Willow laying on her bed in the dorm room she and Buffy share. She's listening to depressing music looking mopey. There's a knock at the door.)

WILLOW: Come in. Oh, Riley. Hi.

RILEY: Hi. Gee, I hope I'm not interrupting anything really depressing.

WILLOW: What's up?

RILEY: Right to the point, ok. I was thinking of asking out Buffy.

WILLOW: She's not here.

RILEY: I know. See, I don't know that much about Buffy. But I'm interested in what she likes, and so far, well, the only thing that I know she likes is you.

WILLOW: What--what do you want me to do?

(Willow tries to inconspicuously shove Buffy's bag-o-weapons under the bed so that Riley doesn't see them)

RILEY: Just tell me something. Anything. Just give me a clue to-- Here, let me help you with that...

(he helps her, never noticing the contents)

RILEY: Just something that will start us talking, you know? I'm thinking that "how 'bout them Broncos" won't really cut it.

WILLOW: Ok, say that I help, and you start a conversation. It goes great. You like Buffy, she likes you. You spend time together, feelings grow deeper, and one day, without even realizing it, you find you're in love. Time stops, And it feels like the whole world's made for you two, and you two alone, until the day one of you leaves and rips the still-beating heart from the other, who's now a broken, hollow, mockery of the human condition.

RILEY: Yep, that's the plan.

WILLOW: I figured it was.

RILEY: Oh. Look, if you want to tell me to go to hell, that's ok. Maybe this is the last thing you want to talk about. I just feel that, well, I've never courted anyone like Buffy before. I don't think I've ever met anyone like Buffy before.

WILLOW: Why should I trust you?

RILEY: Just sort of hoping you'd think I have an honest face.

WILLOW: I've seen honest faces before. They usually come attached to liars.

RILEY: All right. I guess I'm not gonna win, here. And I appreciate you wanting to protect your friend. I guess, uh, she kind of brings that out in people.

WILLOW: She likes cheese.

RILEY: What? Well, I'm not saying it's the key to her heart, but Buffy... She likes cheese.

RILEY: That's a start.

WILLOW: She has a stuffed piggy named Mr. Gordo, loves ice capades without the irony, and she's dragging me to this party tonight at Lowell House.

RILEY: Oh, you're going? That's my house. I live there.

WILLOW: Well, it'll give you a chance to interact, but don't get fresh.

RILEY: Fresh? I don't even know if we like each other yet. Hey, does she ever talk about me? Like, has she ever said...

WILLOW: Sorry.

RILEY: That's discouraging. Still, I feel like I have a fighting chance with my new accomplice.

WILLOW: I'm not your accomplice.

RILEY: No, no. Of course not.

WILLOW: I'm not.

RILEY: You're not.

WILLOW: We're clear.

RILEY: We're clear.

• Buffy & Riley
• Willow & Buffy
• Willow & Oz

written by: Douglas Petrie; Original English Copyright (c) 1999 Jillian Tatterton; Visit the site: http://altern.org/Buffyiv. . Full transcript at:
http://www.studiesinwords.de/63theinitiative.html