Touched
Written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner
& Directed by David Solomon
With Buffy gone, the rest of the gang sit around and debate how they're going to deal now that they don't have Buffy making decisions for them. In the midst of their debating and arguing, the power goes out and Faith concludes the power company has left town and taken the power with them. Meanwhile, Buffy watches as people load up their cars and plan to escape the city, then breaks into a house in search of a place to stay. The owner is still there, but Buffy quietly convinces him it's a smart idea to leave town, nothing in Sunnydale belongs to any of them anymore.
Andrew talks incessantly to Spike while the vampire impatiently waits for the sun to go down again. Worried about Buffy, Spike gets Andrew to shut up and they continue to wait. Down in the basement, Faith and the others talk about their plan and their enemies. Kennedy pushes for a say in decisions, but Faith steps up and makes it very clear that now that Buffy's gone, she's the leader they all voted for and they all need to accept that. Faith decides they should go after the Bringers to maybe gain information about the First or Caleb from it. Kennedy walks alone down an alley until a Bringer steps out of the shadows and tries to attack her. The Bringer is ambushed by the rest of the gang and taken as a captive. Back at the house, they find that the Bringer is without a tongue. Dawn suggests a spell she heard about that would allow them to communicate with the Bringer.
Andrew and Spike return and when Spike asks about Buffy, Willow tries to explain her lack of presence with a lie. Spike realizes the truth--that the others kicked Buffy out--and he snaps at them, accusing them of being ungrateful and unable to handle the truth about Buffy. Instead of talking about it, Spike and Faith begin to have it out with their fists and feet, until Spike finally gives up and leaves. Spike steps outside and follows Buffy's scent to her. In the basement, Willow uses a spell to get the Bringer to talk while Kennedy, Giles, Xander and Andrew sit around waiting. Andrew begins to talk and it takes a minute, but soon the others realize that he's speaking for the Bringer. Andrew explains that the Bringers are everywhere preparing for battle, taunting them with words until Giles hears enough and slashes the throat of the Bringer, breaking his spell on Andrew.
Spike finds Buffy curled up in a bed at the house she broke into, noting that he didn't need an invitation. He presents the news that he thinks there's something at the vineyard that Caleb is protecting and that Buffy was right. Buffy's no longer enthusiastic about her mission and is ready to give up on it all, but Spike tries to convince her otherwise. Giles and Faith look over a map as they plan to begin a search through the sewers for the Bringer's hideout. As Giles leaves, the First in the Mayor's form appears to Faith. She knows what he is and isn't phased, but he prods anyway, praising her for kicking Buffy out and warning that Buffy is a dangerous threat. Buffy breaks down from exhaustion and Spike tries to explain to her that she's needed still by the others.
She talks about how she detached herself from the Potentials and how detaching herself from people is something she's done for as long as she's been the Slayer. To defend himself against Buffy's accusations, Spike professes his love to her, but explains that he loves everything that makes her the woman she is, but not because he wants something back from it. Spike starts to leave, but Buffy asks him to stay and just hold her. Robin interrupts Faith's chat with the First and they start to talk about the First's visits with both of them and the effect it had. The two rant to each other about their problems and failures, then Faith takes things in a different direction and they kiss and tumble onto the bed.
Willow returns to her room to find Kennedy waiting for her and all of the other Potentials gone from the room. They two kiss, but Willow breaks it up, worried that if they let things go too far, something bad may happen. Kennedy convinces her that everything will be okay and she'll protect Willow, then the two get back to kissing. Buffy and Spike continue to hold each other while at the house, Anya and Xander, Faith and Robin, Willow and Kennedy all have sex. The First talks about the gang and the knowledge that they're all taking comfort in each others' arms. Caleb talks to it about how he has its strength inside of him and the First's need to feel. Later, Faith gives out her orders to the gang, sending some to watch over Buffy and others to help her investigate the sewers. Spike wakes up to find Buffy gone and a note left in her absence.
At the vineyard, the First talks with Caleb about their progress, but the First is impatient, worried that Buffy may get her hands on what they have. A Bringer is tossed down the stairs of the cellar and the real Buffy stands at the top, asking for whatever it is Caleb has of hers. Buffy goads Caleb into attacking her, but instead of taking a beating, she keeps her distance and avoids his blows. In the sewers, Faith and the girls find the Bringer's lair and the Bringers that live there. Meanwhile, as the battle with Caleb dies down, Buffy spots a trap door in the floor and dives through it. Meanwhile, the girls battle with the Bringers, eventually disposing of all of them. After the fight ends, Kennedy finds a stairway that leads to an area below the sewers. Buffy finds a scythe imbedded in a rock while Faith finds a locked metal box. Faith breaks open the box only to find a bomb inside, ticking away with a few seconds to go as she tells everyone to take cover.
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Last Updated: 5-6-03