Summary For "Touched"

The Scoobies and the SIT's argue over what to do next. Xander thinks that not everyone there should have a say. Giles tries to reassure Dawn that she did the right thing. Everyone talks all at once. Faith breaks in, tells them all to chill, to go to bed and figure it out in the morning. They question whether or not they have time to rest. Faith says she thinks it's best. Suddenly the power goes out, everyone gasps. A SIT asks what it means, Faith says it means the guys that work for the power company just got the hell out of Sunnydale.

Buffy walks down the street in the dark. She breaks into a man's house. He greets her with a shotgun, she tells him she expected the house to be empty. He asks her if she's kicking him out of his house. She says why not, that's what all the cool kids are doing these days. She tells him it's not his house, not his town. Pulls the gun away from him. He runs out of his house. Buffy goes to the kitchen, opens the fridge, hollers at the man asking if he's got any Tab.

Credits Roll.

At the church, Andrew and Spike play I Spy. Andrew spies something that starts with T. Spike says its tapestry, that's the only bloody thing in the room. Andrew is getting on Spike's nerves. He tells him to shut up. Andrew asks if he wants to play rock paper scissors. Spike accuses him of not getting it, they're trapped inside and anything can be happening outside. He's worried about Buffy.

The SITs are panicking in the dark. They're afraid they're going to die, Anya tells them not to worry, they'll probably live long enough to see all their friends die first. They throw out ideas of what to do next. They suggest kidnaping a Bringer and trying to get information out of him. Kennedy suggests going to the school, checking out the seal, Faith shoots her down. Kennedy gets pissed off, Willow tells Kennedy to calm down. Faith says she's the leader now, she'll go in and check things out first, that's how it's going to work.

Somewhere underground FE/Buffy and Caleb talk as work goes on in the background. Some kind of excavation. FE/Buffy asks what will happen if Buffy and the gang finds out what they're doing. Caleb says not to worry about it. FE/Buffy says right, cause he's going to kill all of them before it comes to that.

Kennedy walks down a darkened street. A Bringer attacks her. SIT's, Giles and Faith jump out and beat off the Bringer. They capture him. Kennedy says she's never been bait before, it's kinda scary. The SIT's tell her they had her back.

Giles comes into the kitchen, he says he's done with the Bringer, the Bringer's dumb. Anya asks him if he expected a world scholar. Giles explains he meant the Bringer was deaf and mute. Dawn says she was reading a Turkish spell book, there was something about a spell used to communicate with the recently deceased, she wonders if that could help. Willow says she's read a translation of that spell book. Dawn says "There's a translation!" and is pissed off for a second before she says she's over it. Andrew's voice rings out as he hollers that they're home. He and Spike walk into the kitchen. Spike wonders where Buffy is. Willow says Buffy decided to leave. Spike gets angry, he calls them all ungrateful traitors. Now that she's surpassed Giles' knowledge, Giles is all jealous of it or something. Buffy's died for them and how do they pay her back. Faith tells him to shut up, the time for speech giving is over. Spike punches Faith in the face. Faith gets up, tells him he's sweet on her, Faith hits him, tells him he's pretty whipped. They fight, Faith knocks Spike into the livingroom. Spike says she's finally gotten what she's always wanted. He asks where Buffy is, Faith says she doesn't know. Spike storms out the door.

They question the Bringer with the help of a spell. The Bringer begins to talk through Andrew. Kennedy threatens the Bringer with a knife. Andrew/Bringer says that they follow their teacher Caleb, they are trying to get rid of all the girls, end the line of the slayer. He says something about dirt, that catches Xander's attention. He continues to talk about killing the slayers and everyone, Giles gets mad, slits the Bringer's throat. Andrew gasps, says they're lucky they didn't magically decapitate him. They go upstairs to mull over their new information.

Spike walks into the house Buffy has taken as her own. He says it wasn't too hard to get in, not a safe place to be. Spike starts to blame Faith for kicking Buffy out. Buffy says it wasn't just Faith, it was all of them, and she doesn't believe that they were wrong. Spike says she was their leader, he found some information proving she was right about the vineyard. Buffy says it doesn't matter anymore. Spike says she needs to take back her leadership of the group. Buffy doesn't seem to care.

Giles and Faith discuss their plan. They're going early the next morning. Giles leaves the room, the mayor appears behind Faith. Faith is skeptical of who he is. The Mayor tries to prove he really is the Mayor. He tries to turn her against Buffy. He tells her if she's not careful Buffy will finish what she started and destroy her.

Spike tries to convince Buffy to go take back control of the group. She says she could, but she doesn't know if she should. Spike says things are a mess without her. There's food cartons all over the place and sleeping bags not rolled up. Buffy asks him if he went over there. Spike says he did, he kicked Faith around a bit. He tells her if she wants Faith dead, just say the word. Buffy says she's so tired. She says the word and girls die. She doesn't like the sound of the word casualties. She feels detached from other people. People try to get close to her and she shuts down and pushes them away. Spike should know about that. Spike says they connected quite a bit. Buffy says he only wanted her because she's unattainable. That pisses Spike off. He tells her he's been alive a lot longer than she has, he's seen a lot more than she has, he makes a lot of mistakes and a lot of bad calls, he's been alive over a hundred years and there's only one thing he's sure of, that's her. Buffy looks away. Spike tells her he loves her, he loves what she is, what she does, how she tries. He's seen her kindness and her strength, the best and the worst of her, he understands with perfect clarity what she is. She's a hell of a woman, she's the one. Buffy says she doesn't want to be the one. Spike says he doesn't want to be this good looking and athletic, but they all have crosses to bear. Buffy crawls into bed, Spike starts to walk away, meaning to keep watch. Buffy asks him to stay. Spike says sure, prepares to bunk down in a chair. Buffy tells him no, she wants him in bed with her, she wants him to hold her. He says sure, climbs into bed beside her and holds her.

The Mayor tells Faith she will never be loved, not the way he loved her. Faith tells him to get out. He tells her he'll always be with her, in everything she does. He disappears, Wood grabs Faith's shoulder, she jumps. She asks him what the hell he thinks he's doing, she could have taken his head off. He apologizes, she asks him how much he saw. He says she saw her being freaked out. He turns and moves towards the door. Faith blurts out that it was the FE. Wood stops, he tells her that she's really in it now, the FE only appears when you're right in the thick of things. Wood asks who it appeared as. Faith says a former boss of hers. Wood says that it appeared to him as his mother. Faith is ashamed that she fell for the trick. Wood says he was too, he knew better but he still wanted his mother to hug him. Faith asks Wood if the FE told him the truth when it appeared to him. Wood says it did. Faith said that the FE warned her against Buffy, but all Faith wants is Buffy to come back. She doesn't want to lead the SIT's into danger tomorrow. She's not a leader, she's an ex con that never finished highschool. Wood says so, he's the ex principle of a highschool where no one finished. Wood tells her to prepare for tomorrow, Faith asks what about tonight, pulls him to her. They lay down on the bed and get busy.

Willow goes looking for the SITs, finds only Kennedy waiting for her in her room. They get into bed and start kissing. Willow gets uncomfortable and pulls away. Kennedy says the four play suddenly turned into one play. Willow says she can't, she's too scared. She's scared if they do, then bad things will happen. Kennedy asks what bad, pleasure and moaning? Willow says sorta, she doesn't want to lose control of herself, she's afraid if she lets herself go she might turn into Dark Willow. She's been afraid since she turned into Warren. Willow says it's stupid. Kennedy says it's not stupid, if it happens, she'll help to pull her back down. Willow agrees, they kiss again.

Anya and Xander are eating ice cream in the kitchen. Anya is mad that they're not showing any respect for them. All that moaning and groaning with no regard for the rest of them. Xander asks her if she's jealous. Anya says of course she is. If her and Xander are done having sex, the rest of them should just knock it off.

Montage of couples together. Buffy and Spike laying together. Wood and Faith goin at it. Willow and Kennedy gettin it on. Xander and Anya goin for broke on the kitchen floor. Spike just holding a thoughtful Buffy.

FE/Buffy says she envies them. Caleb says what they're doing is nauseating, they're barely better than animals. Caleb says she's so much more, she's in everyone. They're just sinners, and she is sin. FE/Buffy says she loves his sermons. He's the only man strong enough to be his vessel. She knows he feels her, but she doesn't feel him. She wants to feel. She wants to wrap her hands around an innocent neck and feel it snap. Caleb says Amen.

Buffy and Spike lay alseep together.

Andrew tries a pep talk. He thinks they're looking for a weapon. Faith tells him he's not coming. Andrew comes through with helpful logic on where to look. Faith thanks him. Faith splits them into two groups, one that's going with her, another that's supposed to spy on Buffy. She asks them if they're ready, and they go out the door.

Spike rolls over, finds a note in the place of where Buffy was.

FE/Buffy and Caleb walk and talk. FE/Buffy tells Caleb they're almost ready, to go rouse the Bringers. As she says that, a Bringer comes tumbling down the stairs, Buffy is at the top of the stairs, she says she hears that they have something of hers.

Buffy and Caleb engage in a very Matrix fight scene. Buffy throws Caleb at some barrels, FE/Buffy teases him for getting beat up. Caleb tells the FE it's confusing him in that form, it says fine and disappears. He gets back up, and they fight.

Faith and her half of the gang find an arsenal of weapons. Someone comments about it being left unguarded. A Bringer appears, it isn't unguarded. They begin to fight off SITs.

Caleb and Buffy fight, Buffy is winning. Caleb calls her a whore. Buffy tells him to be careful or people will start to think he's a woman hater.

Faith and the SIT's defeat the Bringers. Kennedy finds a staircase, Faith goes down the staircase.

Buffy goes down a staircase of her own.

Faith finds a chest.

Buffy finds a weapon and smiles.

Faith opens the chest, it's wired with explosives. She screams for everybody to get down.

Cut to black.

The End.