In the tomb, Buffy and Angel kiss, watched by Spike and Buffy/The First.  Kiss over, Angel begins to tell Buffy what he has learnt about The First when he is knocked out by a risen Caleb.  Buffy and Caleb get straight back into it until Buffy slices him into four parts just as Angel gets up ready for a fight. 

While Spike and Buffy/First still watch from the shadows Angel shows Buffy an amulet, explaining that it is to be worn by a champion with a soul, in other words, him.  As Spike leaves, Buffy tells Angel that she doesn’t want him to be there at the end, she needs him in LA to form a second front in case she loses. Not convinced, Angel asks what the other reason is, and, following her out of the tomb, suggests that it might be Spike.  Thrown for a second, Buffy finally admits that Spike has a soul and, although he is not her boyfriend, he is in her heart.  Through a cookie analogy, she explains to Angel that she is not yet ready to make a commitment to anybody, understanding, Angel tentatively asks who might be the lucky man when she is ready to commit but she cannot say.  He gives her the amulet and leaves, as he goes, she calls out to him and hints that, although it may be a long time coming, Angel is that lucky man.  Smiling, he tells her he’s not getting any older. And he’s gone.

Returning home, Buffy finds a not very happy Dawn waiting for her, while downstairs in the basement, a not very happy Spike is venting his feelings on the punch bag with a bad drawing of Angel pinned to it.  After more jealous vampire crap, Spike asks for the amulet, saying he is the qualified party now that Angel has left. Telling Spike that the amulet should be worn by a champion, she hands it over to him and they spend the night side by side (and fully clothed) yet again.

During the night Buffy awakes to be confronted by Caleb/The First who taunts her with the fact that he has an army waiting and all she has is 30 pimply faced girls, morphing into Buffy, The first tells her that she is alone.  As Spike wakes from a dream, Buffy tells him that she has finally realised that they are going to win.

The next day, the others are gathered and Buffy has just updated them on the new plan, they all appear a bit stunned, except Giles who, thinks it’s ‘bloody brilliant’.  Willow is the centre of the whole plan and doesn’t appear too confident, but the others are all behind her and Buffy hands her the axe.

It’s time to bring the rest of the gang up to date and another one of Buffy’s little pep talks.  She tells them that she is not going to wait for The First to make the first move, tomorrow she goes down to the hellmouth, and they all have a choice……

And it’s time for each of the scoobies to make their own preparations, Faith and Wood are in the school basement,  blocking sewer access routes so that The First’s Army will have to come straight up into the school, while in their rood, Kennedy reassures Willow that she is plenty up to the task that lies before her. Downstairs, Giles, Xander, Andrew and Amanda are preparing by playing Dungeon’s and Dragons, while Anya sleeps through it all.

Finally the day comes.  The slayer army takes the school bus to Sunnydale High and start taking up their positions.  Willow and Kennedy to the Principal’s office, in the school hallway, Giles and Wood take up a position together in the hallway as do, Xander and Dawn and Anya and Andrew.  The rest are down in the hellmouth with Buffy and Faith. 

The slayers and potentials surround the seal in the basement and Buffy drops her blood on it.  The seal opens to reveal an army of thousands and thousands of ubervamps, and the battle commences….

Upstairs in the principal’s office, Willow prepares her spell, watched over by Kennedy.  Chanting, Willow places her hands on the axe, as it starts to glow, we flashback to Buffy’s final speech to the potentials the day before.  Buffy offers them a choice, the choice to realise their full Slayer powers, Willow will use the power of the scythe to give every girl who may one day become a slayer, her full powers now.  As the scythe begins to glow, around the world girls of all ages and all races feel the change, including our girls down in the Hellmouth. 

The battle rages in earnest, while upstairs, Kennedy feels the strength course through, she looks to Willow who, her hands still on the scythe, is glowing, surrounded by light, her hair pure white, she has an expression of joy on her face.  Kennedy takes the scythe and joins the battle, leaving Willow, now back to her normal self to collapse with exhaustion.  She has just one word for her experience.  ‘Nifty’.

Back in the hellmouth Kennedy throws the scythe to Buffy who slashes ubervamps by the dozen, the new slayers are enjoying their new found strength, while upstairs the ubervamps rush into the school, where the remaining scoobies defend their positions.  Spike is holding his own when the amulet he is wearing suddenly starts to take effect, with the words ‘oh bollocks’ a light emanating from the amulet surrounds him and shoots it’s beams in all directions taking out ubervamps as it goes.  A great rumbling sound is heard as the building starts to collapse, and Faith gives the order to get out.

As the mass evacuation starts, Giles herds everyone on the school bus, while Xander looks frantically for Anya who lies, slaughtered, hidden from view.  Down in the Hellmouth, Buffy goes to Spike who tells her to leave, that he has to finish this,  she takes his hand and tells him she loves him, he smiles and says ‘no you don’t but thanks for saying it’. 

She heads for the surface, as the school building explodes and the bus leaves without her, Dawn looking out the back window.  Buffy makes it out of the building as down in the Hellmouth, Spike laughs as he burns to bones and then dust.

Inside the bus, the wounded are being tended to as they hurtle away from the crumbling town, on the roof tops Buffy jumps from one to the other as behind her a gaping hole opens up and the buildings fall into it.  Keeping up with the bus she takes a leap, and scythe still in hand she lands on top of it, turning to watch the end of Sunnydale.  The bus reaches the city limits and comes to a screeching halt. 

The remaining scoobies and potentials emerge from the bus and look at the crater where Sunnydale used to be.  As the others banter behind her, Buffy just stands silent, realising that at last she got her dearest wish, she’s just an ordinary girl. 

As the others ask ‘what are we gonna do now’, she just smiles.
Cider 28/10/03
Lessons













































































































































Cider 19/10/2002
BACK
Beneath You
Frankfurt, Germany. A woman runs through streets away from two hooded fugues. The chase continues up and down the side of a building, through hallways and down rainspouts.  Just as she thinks she has got away, the hooded figures grab her and pull her inside a room, there is a bit of a struggle but the figures over power her and stab her with decorative daggers.  A voice says, "From beneath, it devours..."

In her room, Buffy awakes from a bad dream to find Dawn at her bedside.  She tells Dawn of the dream she just had, looking out of her window she says there are others out there who are going to die.

On the streets outside the ground starts to shake, a mound appears and moves off down the road tearing up the road as it goes.

In the school basement, Spike sits muttering to himself when the ground starts to shake, he clutches his head and begs it to stop.

The next day, Xander drives Buffy and Dawn to school, they chat about school, then Anya who Xander mentions he has seen a few times at the Bronze.  At the school, Principal Wood introduces Buffy to her 'office and what her new job will entail.  With the Principal gone, Buffy goes looking for Spike.

In Westbury, England, Willow is ready to leave and her taxi is waiting for her.  Willow, however, is not sure if she is ready to go back to Sunnydale, she is worried about how her friends will react to her and whether she will go bad again.  When Giles questions why she is afraid, Willow starts talking about the Hellmouth again, saying it's teeth are showing.  Giles reassures that things will be how they will be and they head towards the waiting taxi.

It's dark again in Sunnydale and a woman is walking her dog, she pauses for a moment, the dog behind her.  Hearing a crunch she turns around to find the dog's lead disappearing into a hole in the pavement, suddenly the lead is pulled from inside the earth and the woman is pulled towards the hole.  When she gets to the hole, something bursts out front of her. Running down the street, the woman bumps straight into Xander who takes her to Buffy's house.

In Buffy's front room, the woman, Nancy, tells Buffy, Dawn and Xander what happened. As they are discussing what to do next Spike comes in, hair now back to normal length.  Not surprisingly Spike does not get a welcome reception, he says he'll be quick but he needs to speak to Buffy.  On their own in the hallway Spike tells Buffy something big and bad is brewing but he doesn't know what but he wants to help.

Back in the front room, Buffy has a plan, she and Spike will look for the monster while Xander should take Nancy home. As they leave Dawn threatens Spike with fire should he even think about touching her sister.


At the hole in the pavement, Buffy and Spike talk, she tells him that just because they are working together again, doesn't mean that they will be getting back together.  Spike agrees that he cannot apologise for what he has done but that he has changed.  Buffy knows there is something he is not telling her but Spike refuses to tell her anything.  They find nothing in the hole.

At Nancy's, she and Xander chat and she asks him out.  As he says yes the ground starts to shake again. They run, and reaching the top of the stairs see a giant worm at the bottom, it roars at them and then disappears.  The worm reminds Nancy of her ex, Ronny who, she says, was the kind of guy who would like to raise a demon. She tells Xander, that Ronny would leave and that she wishes it would stop.

At the Bronze, Anya is chatting with a girl who is complaining about her boyfriend, just as Anya is about to get her to wish for something Buffy, Xander, Nancy and Spike walk up to her. Nancy confirms that Anya is the woman that she spoke to about Ronny and Anya admits that she turned Ronny into the worm a Sluggoth demon.  Xander tells Anya to turn him back, when she refuses Spike starts on her.  Anya looks at Spike and notices something different about him, she asks repeatedly how he did it and Spike starts to back away from her telling her to shut up. The two start to fight and Nancy, really scared now runs off, Buffy steps in to break up the fight but ends up fighting Spike herself.

Noticing that Nancy has gone, Xander shouts out to Buffy, telling Xander to try and persuade Anya to reverse the spell, Buffy goes after Nancy.

Outside, Nancy walks down an alley when the ground starts to tremble again, behind her the pavement crumbles and chases her down the street. Trying to get away, Nancy jumps up on to a fire escape but the worm doesn't give up and starts battering the building from underneath. From a rooftop, Buffy spots Nancy and runs to help followed by Spike.

In the Bronze, Xander tells Anya to reverse the spell, she says she can but she is being watched and bitches at Xander, saying none of this would have happened if he hadn't of left her at the alter.  Exasperated, Xander tells her that there are only so many times that she can use that excuse.

Outside, Buffy swings to Nancy's rescue just as the fire escape gives way.  They land safely just as the worm bursts up right by them, Buffy is ready for the fight when Spike runs past and grabbing a pole lunges at the worm who turns back into Robby just as the pole hits home.  Howling in pain, Spike clutches his head and stands back, looking in horror at what he has done.  Saying sorry he pulls the pole out and Buffy runs to help Robby.

Over the edge again, Spike starts muttering, shouting and laughing to himself, suddenly he crouches down near Buffy and, looking her in the eye, tells her that the worst is yet to come pointing towards the ground he says 'From beneath you, it devours', then runs off into the night just as Xander and Anya get there.  Xander tells Anya that she did the right thing and that it could have got a lot worse. She replies that it will be.

Walking through one of Sunnydale's many cemeteries Buffy sees lights on in a church, entering she finds Spike shirtless in the church still muttering to himself.  She goes to him and tries to touch his scarred chest but he backs away telling her not to touch him.  Muttering about a spark he starts to undo his pants, Buffy grabs his hands to stop him, he grabs her round the throat put she throws him across the church.
Concerned, Buffy asks him again what happened to him, Spike talks again about the 'spark' and says Angel should have warned him, the spark is in him, they put it back and now it burns. Buffy looks at him and realises he has his soul back.  Spike asks her if its what she wanted then clutches his head, saying everyone is telling him to go to hell he walks to a large cross and his bare chest on it, which starts to smoke.
Cider 22/10/02
BACK
Same Time, Same Place
Sunnydale airport 9.24, a nervous Buffy, Xander and Dawn await Willow's arrival sporting a  'welcome back Willow' sign written in yellow crayon.  As people file through into arrivals the three friends worry about meeting their old buddy again, which is where Buffy reveals that Willow didn't quite finish her 'not evil' course.  Eventually people stop coming through but there is no sign of Willow.

Sunnydale airport 9.24, people including Willow walk through into arrivals, she looks around for her friends but they are nowhere to be seen. With a sad 'welcome home me' she sets off for home.

In a dark alley a guy sprays graffiti on a wall,  from the darkness a voice asks if he is frightened to be all alone, as he looks around, nervously, a claw comes out of the darkness and attacks him.

10:41 Willow arrives back at the Summers' house and finds no one is home, she goes upstairs to the room that she and Tara used to share, memories flooding back to her.  She picks up and old diary and drops it as she hears a door slam downstairs. She runs down but still no one is there.  sad and alone she lies down to sleep on the sofa.

10:41 and the gang arrive back home.  Buffy has contacted Giles to find that he definitely put her on the plane in London and they worry about what has happened to their friend.  Xander slams the door shut and they hear a noise from upstairs, they investigate but no one is there.

Morning comes and Willow wakes up on the sofa still alone. She tries to call Giles but he is at a Watchers meeting.  Looking for her friends she heads to the Magic Box and finds Anya, who is not too happy to see her. Willow explains that she wants to put things right but cannot find the others. Anya tells her that they are probably at the high school what with Dawn going there, Xander and Buffy working there and Spike being insane in the basement.

At the school Willow finds the construction site but no sign of Xander, instead she finds the skinned remains of the graffiti guy.  As she rushes away, Xander and Buffy look at the body and worry that Willow may have had something to do with it.

Next stop for Willow, the basement and Spike.  Unbeknown to Willow, Xander and Buffy have followed her down.  They find Spike, muttering madness to himself as usual. Spike talks to all three but Willow is not visible to Xander and Buffy nor are Xander and Buffy visible to Willow, making Spike seem more insane than usual. 

Having got nowhere with Spike, Willow arrives at Anya's asking for help to find whatever killed the graffiti guy and worried that Buffy will think it was her.  Anya agrees to help and they perform a locating spell which points Willow to a cave in the woods. She tells Anya to teleport over there and Anya reluctantly admits that her teleporting privileges have been taken from her, except for official business, and that the vengeance thing just isn't what it used to be.

At the Summers' house Dawn has been at the research and has come up with a likely match for the killer, Gnarl, a demon who paralysis his victims with his claws and then cuts off strips of their skin and eats them while they are still alive. Next step, finding Gnarl, slaying Gnarl. Buffy suggests using Spike to track Gnarl who will have left a trail of blood from the murder scene to his home.

That night, Xander Buffy and Dawn follow Spike as he tracks Gnarl and leads them to the cave in the woods.  Standing at the mouth of the cave is Willow, she crawls inside and soon finds Gnarl.  Still unable to see her, the three remaining scoobies follow her inside.

Inside the cave, Gnarl taunts Willow about how alone she is feeling, the others can hear him too.  Suddenly he strikes out, his claws finding Dawn and the paralysis sets in.  Buffy and Xander get her out and block the entrance to the cave, leaving Willow and Gnarl alone together.

Gnarl continues to taunt Willow, saying there is no way out now and that her friends have left her there all alone.  He strikes out, slashing Willow across the stomach, she falls to the ground, the paralysis taking over. Grabbing her legs, Gnarl lays her out on the floor and uncovers her stomach, licking at the blood on the wound. Still taunting her with her aloneness, Gnarl begins to pull off Willow's skin, strip by strip.

Buffy and Xander carry an ever increasingly paralysed Dawn back through the woods and home, where they dump her unceremoniously on the sofa.  Buffy hits the computer and finds that the paralysis is permanent  until Gnarl is killed that is. She calls Anya to watch Dawn while she and Xander go back to kill Gnarl.  Felling pleases with herself for helping so much recently, Anya casually mentions that has seen Willow who was for her friends and was last seen heading for the cave looking for Gnarl.  As Anya seems to know so much, they take her with them, leaving Dawn in an upright position, TV remote in  hand.

At the cave, Willow lies motionless as Gnarl continues to relieve her of her skin piece by piece while the others race through the woods to help her. They burst into the cave where Anya can see Willow but Buffy and Xander still can't. Buffy fights Gnarl while Anya keeps Willow up to speed with what is happening around her.  Battling the demon Buffy, with helpful tips from Anya,  pokes its eyes out with her thumbs, killing it.  In the cave Willow can feel again and back at the Summers' house Dawn falls off her perch on the sofa. Anya goes to get help for Willow while Buffy and Xander talk to her, telling her they are glad she is back. As they talk Willow becomes visible and the friends are really pleased to see each other at last.

The next day, Buffy enters Willow's room to find her meditating, she turns to go but Willow tells her to come in, explaining that she is healing herself, drawing power from the earth to grow more skin.  They talk and Buffy tells Willow that Dawn is working on finding out what caused the invisibility spell.  Willow tells her that there is no need, she unknowingly caused it herself by being so worried about seeing her friends again.

Sitting back up, Willow continues to heal herself, although she has little strength left, taking hold of Willow's hands, Buffy says she has enough strength for the both of them.
Cider 01/12/02
Help
At the undertakers, an elderly woman is laid out in her coffin peacefully, the undertakers leave and night falls.  Suddenly a nearby coffin opens and Buffy jumps out, Xander jumps out of another and Dawn from another.  Unaware of the oddness of their situation they discuss their problems, well Buffy's problems actually, the impending big bad and her impending first week as a school counsellor for real, as if they were in a coffee shop. Walking toward the elderly woman's open coffin the talk turns to whether she is actually dead or undead, old lady solves the problem for them by opening her eyes, Buffy jumps in with the stake.

The next day at school, Buffy sits expectantly at her desk, ensuring her pencils are all sharp when her first customer walks in.  Buffy takes it in her stride as kid after kid comes into her office with all the usual kid problems, bullying, family, sexuality, and the ones that just plain wanted to skip class. And then there's, Cassie,  the one that's convinced she's going to die next Friday.

Meanwhile, Xander and Willow take a stroll to the cemetery where Willow visits Tara's grave for the first time. 

At the school, Buffy talks to Cassie who explains she's not going to commit suicide, she just knows things sometimes and this time she knows she gonna die. She doesn't know how but there will be coins and some place dark underground and that Buffy will try to help but that she won't be able to.  Leaving, she tells Buffy that she likes her shirt but that she should but a sweater over it so that it doesn't get stained.

Heading for the principal's office, Buffy asks for his advice but he shrugs it off as teenage angst and all that they can do is help as much as they can.  He pours coffee and hands Buffy a cup, walking towards his desk she tells him she has to do something, she has to help, bumping into his desk she spills coffee all over her shirt.

Concerned for Cassie, Buffy tells Dawn to keep an eye on her. Dawn finds Cassie talking to a friend and approaches them with a lame 'what's the homework' question.  Back at home Buffy looks up Cassie's school records with a little help from Willow,  and finds that up until recently she was a model student. Finding nothing of interest in her medical records, Willow hits the net and discovers Cassie's  site, CassieNewton.com, full of poems and pictures. Searching more, whilst Dawn tries to pin Cassie's impending death on her much-rejected friend, Mike, Willow finds that Cassie's father, Philip, is not all he should be what with the drink related police record.

Next stop Philip Newton's, house where Buffy gets straight to the point with her concerns. Daddy Newton's is unsurprisingly not too happy at their accusations and they leave sure that they were barking up the wrong tree. Outside they bump into Cassie who tries to convince them that there is nothing they can do to help.

Meanwhile in the school library a group of robed demon worshippers form a circle, candles in hand chanting away, in their midst is a circle of coins surround a burning image of Cassie.

Friday morning at school and Buffy sits at her desk staring at Cassie's website, reading her poetry. Outside the school day goes on at normal, Cassie eats her lunch with her friends. At home Buffy and her friends still try to find a way to save Cassie while she herself sits on her bed writing her poems. 

Getting nowhere Buffy turns to Spike for help, asking if he knows anything. He tells her there is evil down there in the basement, that he is a bad man. Unable to get any sense out of him she leaves the basement and finds the much-rejected Mike in the hallway. As they talk, the Principal checks students lockers, a bunch of coins clatter to the floor from one. 

Buffy's next stop, the owner of the locker, at first he tries to deny any knowledge, but a little threat of physical violence soon cracks him and he starts to spill. Outside Cassie is leaving school closely followed by Dawn, distracted for a second by Peter, Buffy's wanting to skip class customer, Dawn turns back to find Cassie gone.

In the library, the demon worshippers are ready, their leader, Peter, ensures that all exits have been taken care off and a bound Cassie is brought forth.  Peter picks up a cleaver, holds it to Cassie's  neck and begins his chant while the others watch on, nervously. Mid chant Buffy throws off her robe and reveals herself to the Peter, they circle each other and Buffy makes the first move.  She knocks him to the floor but finds that she is too late, the demon has already risen.

Picking up the cleaver she throws it at the demon and the fight begins, while Buffy is occupied with the demon, Peter reaches for the cleaver and approaches Cassie.  In the nick of time Spike arrives, flaming torch in hand.  Taking the torch, Buffy attacks the demon, while Spike, chip and pain not withstanding, takes on the leader.  As the demon bursts into flames, Spike grabs the cleaver and frees Cassie form her bonds.  Cassie looks at him saying 'she'll tell you, some day she'll tell you'.

The fight over Buffy goes to Cassie's aid and helps her into the corridor, as she opens the door an arrow flies towards Cassie's head, but Buffy catches it just in time. 'See you can make a difference' she says. With the words, 'and you will', Cassie falls dead to the floor. Victim of a hereditary heart problem, fate, after all.
Cider 01/12/02
Selfless
At the Summers' house, Dawn is giving Willow some advice about going back to college as they unpack Willow's things, while Xander tells Buffy how much he is looking forward getting back into the dating loop and how over Anya he is.

Meanwhile at the college Frat house Anya, covered in blood, surveys the latest vengeance related damage she has done, in the form of lots of male dead bodies, and is none too pleased with the outcome.

Sjornjost, 880

Anya (or Aud as she was known then) tidies the family home and tends to the pet rabbits as her husband, Olaf, arrives home from work.  He sits at the table and she brings him some mead like the good little wench that she is.

Back in the now, Anya rinses the blood from her hands , Lady Macbeth-like while in the basement Spike confides to Buffy that he has been seeing things and tells her that he is in trouble.  She offers her help and tells him that they will get through this.  As she puts her arm around him the real Buffy appears and tells him that he needs to get out of the basement.

In the college grounds Willow chats to her professor who is more than happy to have her back. The professor leaves and Willow spots Anya, wrapped in an overcoat, walking out of the Frat house,  looking a bit shifty.  Anya makes an excuse that she has been visiting her new boyfriend and leaves but not before Willow spots a missed patch of blood on her arm.  Willow makes her way to the Frat house where she sees the carnage left by Anya. Hearing crying coming from a closet she opens the door to find a girl sobbing 'I take it back' over and over again.  It appears that she has been the victim of a sick joke by her now ex(and dead) boyfriend and his friends. Unfortunately she expressed her torment by means of a wish and now her ex and his friends all have their hearts ripped out.

Fearing the worst Willow asks what did this, the girl says a spider just as a particularly large one appears behind Willow. As it attacks Willow holds it with a magic beam and throws it out of the window.

Back in 880 the villagers are suffering from the rampages of a Troll they think is very good at Olaf impressions, as they chase him off throwing fruits and various meats at him, Aud watches from her door. As she watches D'Hoffryn appears, introduces himself, invites her to join his family and gives her the name Anyanka.

In her office, Buffy is practising the slayer skill of balancing a pencil pot on her head when she is disturbed by the phone. It's Willow with the good spider news. At Anya's apartment Hally is congratulating Anya on her latest job when they are interrupted by Willow. First she tells Halfrek to leave and then she tells Anya that she has to stop and that she is there to help. Anya, however, is having none of it, saying that they got what they deserved.

In the woods near the college Xander and Buffy are on spider demon patrol, they soon find it's trail and then the demon itself as it drops down onto Buffy, she throws it and it disappears back into the trees.  Xander is all for coming back later with re-enforcement's when Buffy, staring into the trees, suddenly throws her axe up into the trees, it comes back down, spider demon on the end of it.

Back at the Summers' house they find Willow who fills them in on the hard facts of who and what sent the demon.  Buffy knows what she has to do, she has to kill Anya.

St Petersburg 1905, Anya and Halfrek sit at a large dining table, surrounded by bodies and discuss what they will do with the rest of their evening. Halfrek is all for enjoying the sights of the revolution that Anya has just caused but Anya is all about the work, work, work.

At the Summers' place Xander and Buffy are having a little role reversal, Buffy explaining that Anya is a demon, she is a slayer, yada, yada, yada and Xander trying to find some other way now that it's someone he's in love with.  Xander starts throwing the past back in her face, Spike, Angel, but she throws it right back at him, telling him that she killed Angel, the person that she loved more than she will ever love anyone, because she had to, and they were right behind her then. Both of them.  She reminds him of when he gave her Willow's message, 'kick his ass' (although Willow tries to protest that she never said that). Xander can say nothing but that there has to be another way and Buffy suggests he find it quick. Without a word Xander tales his coat and leaves, Buffy grabs a sword and leaves by the other door. 

Going to her room Willow grabs an amulet from her drawer and prepares the spell to call D'Hoffryn who is very pleased to see her, believing that she has decided to join his family after all. But Willow just wants to talk about Anya, resignedly D'Hoffryn agrees.

Xander finds Anya back at the Frat house, and offers her is help. He tries to reason with her, telling her that Buffy is coming to kill her. Anya, however, accepts this, she has a job to do as does the slayer. When Buffy enters, sword in hand Anya is quite prepared for her, demon face at the ready and they fight. Rising from where Anyanka has thrown her Buffy apologises to Anya before driving her sword through her heart.

Sunnydale 2001, at his apartment, Xander lies asleep on his chair, talking in his sleep as Anya sits nearby.  Anya gets up as outside mustard guy sings his lament and Anya again bursts into a song about their impending marriage,  as she tidies up around her sleeping fiancé.

Back in the now Anya lies slumped against the wall, sword still sticking out of her chest, opening her eyes she pulls out the sword and the fight starts again. Anya is about to be impaled again when Xander knocks him out of the way, neither of them thank him for it.  In a flash of light D'Hoffryn appears. Approaching him Anya says she wants to take back what she has done, D'Hoffryn explains that this can be done but, as there are so many victims, restoring them will require a sacrifice, the life and soul of a vengeance demon.  Anya agrees and tells D'Hoffryn to do it.  With a clap of his hands, there's a flash of light and  D'Hoffryn summons and then kills Halfrek and Anya is left, human again.  As D'Hoffryn turns to go she tells him that he should have killed her, 'oh I wouldn't worry about that,' he says, 'from beneath you it devours' and is gone.
Cider 02/12/02
Him
(More detailed guide coming soon)
Feeling sorry for Spike she has somehow pursuaded Xander to let him stay in his closet, although neither seem too happy about the situation.  After rehousing her ex-lover she goes round to see Xander's and ends up saving her from a demon sent by D'hoffryn. Although Anya is adamant that she doesn't want Buffy's help and would rather sit in the dark and brood, Buffy manages to pursuade that she is wanted and needed.  The next day at school, Dawn meets the love of her life, the quarterback in the school football team.  It seems just like normal teen lust until Buffy meets the object of Dawn's affection's, RJ, and falls for him herself.  Then it becomes lovespelly.  As Dawn and Buffy bicker over who loves RJ most, the rest of the team get to work. Xander realises he knows RJ's brother and he and Spike set off to pay him a call, meanwhile Willow and Anya remain at Buffy's and hit the laptop. While Spike and Xander figure out it's RJ's hand me down Sunnydale High football jacket that's working the mojo on the girls, RJ himself pays a call at the summer's house and Anya and Willow find themselves falling for his charm.  The four girls set off to proove their love for him while Spike and Xander come to the rescue and steal and then burn the jacket.  Spell over, girls embarrased.
Cider
Conversations With Dead People
(More detailed guide coming soon)
In a bar, Spike sits, bottle of Jack at the ready, Buffy patrols the cemetary, brand new vampire all ready to kill, Dawn eats pizza at home and Willow studies at college. In the cemetary, Buffy and the vamp fight until vamp suddenely recognises Buffy and they start a conversation, while back at college the late Cassie arrives to have a little chat with Willow about Tara and at home Dawn find's the electrical appliances have a mind of their own and someone is knocking at the door.  As Buffy opens her heart to her new vampire friend, things get scary at the Summer's house and Dawn tries to cast a spell to banish the demon that is stopping her from speaking to her mom.  In the bar, Spike has pulled and walks his new girlfriend home, whilst at college, Cassie tells Willow that if she continues to use magic she will kill all her friends and the only way she can stop it is to kill herself and join Tara.  As Willow realises that Cassie is not what she appears to be, the demon tells her that he will kill them all and disappears into itself, while at home, Dawn banishes the demon and Joyce appears, a vision in white, and tells Dawn that evil is coming and when it does Buffy will not save her.  In the cemetary the vampire reveals that Spike is the one the sired him just before he is dust, while Spike himself is feeding on his new girlfriend.
Cider
Sleeper
(More detailed guide coming soon)
Concerned for the welfare of Xander and Spike, Buffy heads to Xander's apartment to find that Spike is still not home. Spike himself is burying his latest kill in the basement of a house.  When Spike returns she faces up to him and tries to get him to confess to his recent nighttime activities but she's getting nowhere.  She tells Xander to watch him, but Xander has a meeting and calls in Anya for the job.  It's already dark when Spike leaves and Anya calls Buffy to tell her. On the unusually busy streets of Sunnydale, Buffy follows Spike as he hunts, picking a girl he speaks with her and leads her away, he is about to bite when Buffy arrives and tells him to do it. Spike chows down but then gets a guilt on and leaves, as he does Buffy turns into Spike and watches himself go.  The next night Spike is at the Bronze when he is approached by a vampire claiming to be sired by Spike, they fight and he dusts her and then calls Buffy.  He takes her to the basement where he has been burying his victims and, with his other self for company, admits that he is starting to remember killing people.  Goaded by his other self he turns on Buffy and they fight, as they do, hands start appearing from below and the others he has sired awaken.  Buffy is outnumbered and two hold her while Spike goes for the kill.  Smelling the blood from a cut on her arm brings him to and he runs from her.  Making little work of the other vamps Buffy turns to Spike, stake in hand.  He tells her to make it quick and then reveals that there is something else with them.  Back at the Summers' house Spike sits huddled in a corner, while Buffy explains to the others that in order to find out what evil is messing with them she needs to keep Spike close.  In London, Giles enters his friends house to foind his wife dead and Robson on the brink of death.  Robson tells Giles to 'gather them, it's coming' just as a robed man takes an axe to Giles' head.
Cider
Never Leave Me
(More detailed guide coming soon)
Concerned for the welfare of Xander and Spike, Buffy heads to Xander's apartment to find that Spike is still not home. Spike himself is burying his latest kill in the basement of a house.  When Spike returns she faces up to him and tries to get him to confess to his recent nighttime activities but she's getting nowhere.  She tells Xander to watch him, but Xander has a meeting and calls in Anya for the job.  It's already dark when Spike leaves and Anya calls Buffy to tell her. On the unusually busy streets of Sunnydale, Buffy follows Spike as he hunts, picking a girl he speaks with her and leads her away, he is about to bite when Buffy arrives and tells him to do it. Spike chows down but then gets a guilt on and leaves, as he does Buffy turns into Spike and watches himself go.  The next night Spike is at the Bronze when he is approached by a vampire claiming to be sired by Spike, they fight and he dusts her and then calls Buffy.  He takes her to the basement where he has been burying his victims and, with his other self for company, admits that he is starting to remember killing people.  Goaded by his other self he turns on Buffy and they fight, as they do, hands start appearing from below and the others he has sired awaken.  Buffy is outnumbered and two hold her while Spike goes for the kill.  Smelling the blood from a cut on her arm brings him to and he runs from her.  Making little work of the other vamps Buffy turns to Spike, stake in hand.  He tells her to make it quick and then reveals that there is something else with them.  Back at the Summers' house Spike sits huddled in a corner, while Buffy explains to the others that in order to find out what evil is messing with them she needs to keep Spike close.  In London, Giles enters his friends house to foind his wife dead and Robson on the brink of death.  Robson tells Giles to 'gather them, it's coming' just as a robed man takes an axe to Giles' head.
Cider
Bring On The Night
(More detailed guide coming soon)
At the Summers' house, Xander puts the house back together again and the rest of the Scoobies engage in some unsuccesful research on the First, while underground the First itself, in the form of Drusilla) and with the help of the old vampire continues to brutally torture Spike. Just as the gang think that things can't get less hopeful, Giles returns with three potential slayers in tow, Annabelle, Kennedy and Molly.  As always he brings good news, the apocolypse is nogh (again) and the First plans to anihilate all Slayers and potential slayers.  The three he has with him have already lost their watchers and the he is the only surviving member of the council. A trip to the place where she previously met with the First leads Buffy to the uber-vamp who apparantly cannot be staked (and Giles informs us is a Turuk-Han a vampire that vampire's fear), the coming dawn only just saves her and Buffy skips sleep to try and keep her job as school counseller.  That evening as they wait for sunset and it's peril's, Annabelle dissappears and meets with an untimely fate at the hands of the Turuk-Han, Buffy gets there a moment too late and take a beating from the uber-vamp.  Back at home and badly beaton she tells the remaining members of the gang that she is no longer prepared to wait for evil to come to them, they are an arm and war has just been declared
Cider
Showtime
(More detailed guide coming soon)
With more Slayers in Waiting arriving on an almost daily basis, the Summers' house is becoming rather crowded and Buffy has her work cut out trying to keep the First from them.  Meanwhile the First itself is keeping busy taunting Spike in the guise of Buffy.  With the potentials all scared, and the Scoobies at a loss to figure out how to defeat the First, Giles and Anya go for pla Z and call in the help of a demon eye. After much prodding he tells them that the First has chosen this particular time to strike because there is a vulnerabilty in the slayer line caused by Buffy being brought back from the dead.  Meanwhile Buffy and Xander go to collect another potential only to find that, not only is she  already dead but that the First has been with them in her guise for the past couple of days.  They return home to confront the First who vanishes on being found out. With night and the Turuk-Han approaching, Willow tries to create a barrier around the Summers' house, the Turuk Han breaks through easily and our gang run for their lives.  As Buffy faces the Turuk-Han, Willow and Xander take the potentials to the construction site as has been pre-planned by them and Buffy.  Buffy lures the Turuk-Han to the now brightly lit construction site come arena and the fight begins.  It's a tough one but of course, as the potentials look on, Buffy wins in the end, be-heading the vamp with a piece of barb wire.  The fight over, Buffy returns home, picking up Spike on the way.
Cider
Potential
(More detailed guide coming soon)
With the First Evil in remission for the time being, Buffy has some time to train the potentials.  Meanwhile Giles is out looking for more potentials and Willow receives news that there's one right there in Sunnydale.  Getting to work, Willow prepares a locator spell while Buffy takes her trainees on a night out in Sunnydale, demon bar, vampire’s nest, the usual.  Left at home, Xander, Anya and Dawn watch Willow cast the spell, which creates an orange orb which will surround the potential and lead them to her.  The spell lingers between them for a while until Dawn makes for the door, taking them all by surprise it slams into Dawn, knocking her to the floor.  With the news that she could be the next slayer sinking in right before the realisation that, for this to happen, Buffy must die, Dawn heads for her room and then out the window.  On the streets she bumps into Amanda, a young girl with a vampire problem come to see Buffy.  With her new found powers, Dawn takes charge and they set off for the school.  The vampire’s a waiting and they run, as resourceful as her sister, Dawn leads them to the chemistry lab and throws everything she’s got at them, while Buffy herself is showing the potentials a thing or too about fighting a vampire. The show over she and Spike leave the other potentials to face the nest alone.  Despite all her efforts the vampire knocks Dawn to the floor and is about to feed when the bringers arrive, but they’re not there for Dawn. Realising the spell’s mistake, Dawn sets of the gas and a fireball knocks out the Bringers freeing Amanda long enough for the girls to run.  Dawn hands Amanda her makeshift stake and tells her she is the one who can handle this, which is where Buffy and Xander arrive and the real fighting starts and Amanda gets her first kill.
Cider
The Killer In Me
(More detailed guide coming soon)
At the Summer’s house, Giles prepares to take the potentials on a trip to the desert, Kennedy unfortunately, has come down with a severe dose of the flu and has to stay home under the watchful eye of Willow, while in the basement, Buffy takes care of Spike who has chained himself to the wall.  With Giles and the other girls gone the gang begin to feel more normal again and relish have the place to themselves again.  After much teasing from Buffy, Willow takes Kennedy a soothing cup of tea only to find that she is dressed and ready to go out on her own personal mission to the Bronze.  Here Kennedy admits that her illness was nothing but a ploy to get Willow alone and they proceed to chatting about being gay.  Their talk leads them home and to the bedroom where Kennedy’s passionate kiss turns Willow into Warren.  Downstairs, Spike’s chip has malfunctioned and the blinding headaches are coming on faster and faster.   After to what appears to be a failed attempt to contact Riley, Spike and Buffy go off to see what they can find in the old Initiative caves while Kennedy and Willow (as Warren) go to see Willow’s old college Wicca group.  The Wicca group have advanced somewhat from the bake sales (although they still have them on a regular basis) and now count Amy among their group.  Amy tells Willow that she has changed and has joined the group for help. She tries to turn Willow back but Warren is getting stronger in her and she storms off leaving Kennedy with Amy.  Back at the Summer’s house, the remaining Scoobies get a call from England, a chap called Robson tells them that the last time he saw Giles he was about to get very friendly with the axe of a Bringer.  Nobody can remember Giles touching anything or hugging anything and now fear that they have let the First Evil go off to the desert with the unsuspecting potentials and they head off to save the day.  Meanwhile Willow (as Warren) goes off to the shop where Warren bought his gun and starts to re-enact the events of Seeing Red.  At the college Amy lets slip to Kennedy that she knows that she is a potential and confesses that she turned Willow into Warren.  In the desert the Scoobies pounce on Giles but find him very corporeal and quite concerned that they think he is evil because he is in the desert with a lot of young girls and he hasn’t touched them!  In Buffy’s garden Willow finds Kennedy waiting for her, they kiss again and Willow returns.  Meanwhile in the Initiative caves, Buffy and Spike find the bodies of the demons that were left behind when the caves where deserted.  After fighting off a surviving demon, the lights come on and Buffy and Spike find themselves surrounded by Riley’s old government friends.  Her message to Riley got through and they are here to give her a choice.  Spike’s chip is indeed, malfunctioning, they can repair it or removed it, it’s up to her.
Cider
First Date
(More detailed guide coming soon)
With the potentials all back home and safe and well with Giles the gang become a tad apprehensive when they learn that Spike has had his chip removed.  Buffy, however, is more concerned with the potential evil that is Principal Wood. Sneaking into his office, Buffy starts looking around but is disturbed by the Principal himself. To her surprise, instead of kicking her out he invites her out on a date.  As Buffy leaves, he takes a knife from his person and replaces in the weapons cabinet that Buffy was just about to look in.  Xander meanwhile is getting a date of his own at the local hardware store, much to Anya’s chagrin. Date time is here and Buffy and Xander set off to meet their respective partners.  The Principal leads Buffy down a dark alley towards a little known restaurant, but before getting there they are attacked by a gang of vampires.  Removing a concealed stake Buffy sets upon them while the Principal, removing his own concealed stakes deftly takes out two for himself. Both done, they look at each other, agree that they need to talk and find the restaurant just around the corner.  Inside the restaurant the Principal reveals that he is the son of a slayer, a slayer that was killed by a vampire in New York in the 1970’s. He was brought up by his mother’s watcher who taught him much and he has been seeking the vampire that killed his mother since he was old enough.  Xander’s date, however, is not going so well, he has found himself dating another demon who has him tied up in the basement of the school.  Back at the Summer’s house  The First appears to Andrew as Jonathan and tells him to kill the potentials using the gun that Willow bought when she was Warren.  Andrew wavers but at last agrees to get the gun.  Fetching it he meets The First and tries to get information from him, The First soon figures out that he is wearing a wire and the plot is foiled but Andrew has redeemed himself.  Willow receives a coded message from Xander letting her know that he is in trouble and Spike sets off to get Buffy and the three of them rescue Xander, killing his date.  Back at home The First appears to Principal Wood as his mother to tell him that Spike was the vampire that killed her.
Cider
Get It Done
(More detailed guide coming soon)
At the Summers’ house Buffy checks on the sleeping potentials and finds Chloe huddled in a corner crying and terrified. Buffy approaches her but is knocked down the stairs. Landing at the bottom she finds that the first slayer is on top of her telling her that it’s not enough. Waking with a start Buffy finds herself in bed. The next day at work Principal Wood gives her a bag that belonged to his mother, telling her that it should have been passed down to her, but he could not bear to part with it. In return she takes him back home to show him the slayers in training and the rest of the gang, including Spike who he is very curious about.  Finding one of the potentials, Chloe, hanging in her room with The First standing by is enough to dampen everyone’s spirits and gives Buffy the opportunity for a rather severe pep talk that includes Willow, Xander and Spike.  She decides its time to discover what’s in the slayer’s bag.  They open it to find various weapons, a book written in ancient Sumarian and a locked box.  Forcing the box Buffy finds what they discover to be a shadow story teller which tells the story of the first slayer.  Setting it up Dawn reads from the book (with a surprisingly good translation skills) and as the story unfolds a portal opens.  In order to learn more they need to make an exchange.  Against the advice of her friends Buffy leaps into the portal and the others discover what they are getting in exchange.  A rather vicious demon.  As Spike goes off to fight it (taking his favourite old long black leather coat with him for moral support) Willow tries to recreate the portal and bring Buffy back.  Buffy, meanwhile, finds herself confront with three wise men.  They circle her then knock her out and Buffy awakes to find herself chained in a cave.  Here Buffy discovers how the first slayer was created, mix equal parts one girl and one demon heart, telling her that it will give her more power they begin the ritual .  Buffy, refuses their offer and escapes from her chains just as back in our dimension Willow creates the portal and Spike brings back the dead demon, the exchange is made again and Buffy returns.
Cider
Storyteller
(More detailed guide coming soon)
It’s another day at the Summers’ house and as the girls get their breakfast Andrew follows them with a camcorder, intent on making a film of the story of Buffy, slayer of the vampires.  While he gets on with this, annoying everyone in turn, Buffy goes to work to find that the hellmouth is having an adverse effect on the students.  With the help of her new ally Robin, she ventures to the basement to find that the seal covering the hellmouth has once again been uncovered.  Returning to the Summers’ home they turn to the person who first uncovered the seal, Andrew.  With the help of Willow and a charm he relives the events leading up to his return to Sunnydale and the murder of Jonathan and then reveals that the knife he used is carefully hidden in their cutlery drawer.  Retrieving the knife, they find some words written on it, the knife being their only link to the seal, Willow gets to work and it’s not long before she’s found away to stop the seal.  Taking Spike, the Principal and Andrew, Buffy sets off to the school where they find the students have been hard at work redecorating, but not in a good way.  Spike and Robin take on the possessed students upstairs while Buffy takes an unwilling Andrew down to the basement. Meanwhile Xander and Anya finally lay their relationship issues to rest and end it as it started, with ‘get over you’ sex.  In the basement a group of students have formed a circle around the seal and started a chant, Buffy and Andrew arrive to find the seal all glowy and the students are being turned into new Bringers.  Upstairs Robin and Spike fight side by side while downstairs Andrew films Buffy fighting off the Bringers.  This done she pulls out a knife and tells Andrew that the only way to stop the seal is by giving it the blood of the one that first opened it.  They circle each other around the still glowing seal, scared of dying Andrew first begs for his life and finally confesses that he knew Warren wasn’t really Warren and that it was wrong but even so he murdered his best friend, as his tears fall on to the seal, it stops glowing and calm is restored to the school.
Cider
Lies My Parents Told Me
New York City 1977

In the pouring rain Spike and Nikki the vampire slayer fight while a young Robin Wood watches from his hiding place behind a bench.  The fight is nearly over and Spike is about to take a well earned bite when Robin creates a distraction giving Nikki time to react.  She hurls a stake in Spike’s direction right on target, but he catches it before it hits home and, complimenting Nikki on her coat, makes his exit. Turning to her son, Nikki tells him that it’s time he went home, while she stays out and fights.

In the present day Robin, Buffy and Spike fight a gang of vampires out on the street, just another night in Sunnydale. The fight isn’t going too well for Robin, without the super strength of Buffy and Spike he is soon pinned down by a hungry vamp until Spike comes to his rescue.  Without a word of thanks, Robin stares at Spike, gripping the stake in his hand until he bleeds.

It’s daytime at Sunnydale High and in his office, Principal Wood gazes out of the window as Buffy walks in to report that normality has returned to Sunnydale, or it’s at normal as it gets.  Buffy, however, is not convinced that shutting down the seal is really the end of all their troubles, things are never that easy. And she’s right, it’s not long before Giles comes dashing in with news of the latest catastrophe,  there are no books in the library, the world is doomed. Then there is his other concern, Spike, while he may have a soul, the First may still be able to work his trigger which Giles is not convinced is no longer active.  As they talk it becomes clear that the Principal needs to catch up with some back episodes of Buffy.  Giles, in the meantime, has a plan.

Back at Buffy’s, Xander takes great pleasure in chaining Spike up while Giles explains what they are going to do.  They are going to put a chip in his head, well a stone, which will work through his mind trying to find the trigger, once the Spike knows what the trigger is, he can stop it from working. In theory. As Willow recants the spell in Latin, the stone turns into a magical worm which enters Spike’s head via the optical nerve. Nice.

The stone starts its work and Spike is transported back to his pre-vampire ways, reciting his bloody awful poetry, another ode to Cecily, to his enwrapped, but ill, mother. They sit together, loving son and doting mother, she sings to him, his favourite bedtime song, the trigger.  Back in Buffy’s basement, he morphs into vamp face and attacks Buffy, throwing her across the room. Roaring with rage and restricted by the chains he hurls whatever is within his reach at the others.  Suddenly he stops, clasping his head, as the worm comes back out of his eye and drops to the floor, turning back to stone.

Later, calmer, Spike still sits in his chains, he protests that he is de-triggered now, the stone has done, it’s job, Giles, however, is not convinced and wants to know more.  Reluctantly, Spike explains to him, the song, Early One Morning, was his mother’s favourite, she used to sing it him when he was a child, that is all, while upstairs, Willow receives a phone call from Fred in LA. 

In the basement, Buffy wants to let Spike go, but Giles protests, the trigger is still as active as ever.  As they talk, Spike looks at his hand and is transported back to his past again. Now a vampire, he and Dru dance in his mother’s house, kissing and canoodling as lovers do, making plans to ravage Europe, just the three of them. Spike, Dru and mother.  Hearing the noise, mother appears, and William, telling her that she need never worry about anything else, that they will be together for ever, he takes her in his arms and bites down.

Back in the basement, Willow interrupts Spikes reverie to tell Buffy that she needs to go to LA for a while and heads off.  Against the advice of Giles, Buffy decides to set Spike free and unchaining him return upstairs leaving Giles and Robin in the basement to talk. Neither of them are happy with the Spike situation and Robin has a plan. As they talk, it doesn’t take Giles long to figure out just who Robin is and why he has a problem with Spike. Robin, however,  manages to persuade him that it’s not just about vengeance it’s about the greater good and Giles agrees to keep Buffy occupied for a few hours while Robin does what he needs to do.

In the cemetery that night, Giles has taken Buffy out on the pretence of a training session while Robin has offered to look after Spike. While Giles gives Buffy a lesson on making hard decisions, Robin takes Spike to his work room, kind of a sanctuary he says,  the walls of which just happen to be covered in crosses. Walking over to a computer, he switches it on and hits a few keys, taking his shirt of he opens a drawer where he keeps an assortment of weapons and knuckle dusters. Turning to Spike he tells him he’s been looking for him for a long time, ever since Spike killed his mother in fact. Strapping on the knuckle dusters he tells Spike he doesn’t want to kill him, he wants to kill the monster that took his mother away from him, and turning to the computer he clicks on a downloaded copy of Early One Morning. As the tune begins, Spike struggles with himself but cannot stop the transformation as he morphs into vamp face.

Back in the past, William returns home to find his mother waiting for him, all glowing with her new vampire powers. But the transformation has done something else to his mother, firstly she tells him she is going to leave him, then she goes on to tell him just how little she really thinks of him and his bloody awful poetry, calling him a limp sentimental fool. Whilst in the present, Spike and Robin fight viciously, Robin getting the better of Spike and beating him to a pulp.

Meanwhile, in the cemetery, Buffy fights a vampire, Giles telling her not to kill it yet, but to keep fighting, whilst lecturing her on hard decisions.  As Spike lies beaten the floor, Robin removes the coat from his back, the one that once belonged to his mother. As Spike lies there, reliving the harsh words that his mother, as a vampire said to him, Robin takes a stake from the wall. In Spike’s mind he relives the moment he staked his mother, as Robin lunges with the stake, Spikes hand shoots up and grabs the stake throwing Robing across the room. With renewed energy he  gets up easily blocking all his punches until he eventually Spike slams in into a wall where he remains.  Walking over to him, Spike tells him about his own mother, how he loved her so much he turned her into a vampire, all the nasty things she said to him, how they hurt, but, thanks to Robin he realises now that this was the demon talking and not his mother. Whereas Robin’s mother put slaying before her son, William was all the world to his mother.  Walking over to the computer Spike starts the song playing again, but this time there’s no reaction, switching the computer off he walks back towards Robin, and thanking him for curing him he tells him he is now longer under the First’s or anyone’s power, he has his own free will now and with the words “I just wanted you to know that, before I kill you” he sinks his teeth into Robin’s neck.

Back out in the cemetery, Buffy continues to fight the vampire as Giles tells her that Spike is a liability, everyone sees that but her.  As he talks Buffy suddenly realises that she is being stalled, staking the vampire she runs.  She gets back to Robin’s just as Spike us leaving, having retrieved his coat.  He opens the door to reveal the barely conscious but still alive Robin, and leaves. Walking into the Room, she tells Robin she understands what he did, but they are fighting a war and Spike is the strongest warrior they have and  leaves him with the words his own mother used ‘The mission is what matters"
Cider 19/04/03
Dirty Girls
Empty Places
(More detailed guide coming soon)
Another potential runs through the woods chased by Bringers, just as she thinks it’s all over she makes it to the road and flags down a car.  She can’t believe her luck when she finds the driver is a priest and climbing in they drive off to safety.  But her luck soon changes as the preacher informs her that ‘his boys’ were chasing her because she is a whore.  As she struggles to find the door handle he heats a ring on his finger with the in car lighter and holds it to her neck.  Leaning across he tells her that there is a car behind and he wants her to give them a message for the slayer and stabbing her in the stomach, he whispers in her ear before booting open the door and pushing her out onto the road. Sure enough a car screeches to a halt and Willow gets out and rushes to her aid, behind her Faith looks around and welcomes herself back to Sunnydale.  In a basement filled with wine kegs the preacher, Caleb, fills his glass with red wine as he talks to The First in the guise of Buffy.  Realising that The First is in fact in the guise of the Slayer, Caleb thanks him for showing her to him after all this time and all that he has done for The First, controlling the Bringers and blowing up the council.  The First tells him that soon he will meet the real thing.  At the hospital Willow tries to contact Buffy but she has gone out on patrol, Willow remains at the hospital while Faith makes her way back to the Summers’ home to meet Buffy.  In the cemetery Faith comes across Buffy and Spike and, after a little confusion over who the bad guys are, they make their way back to the Summer’s house.  Here they hear news that the girl, Shannon is awake and Buffy sets of to the hospital.  Shannon tells Buffy about Caleb and gives her his message, ‘I have something of yours’.  Buffy is determined to get back whatever it is that he may have and, against the good advice of Giles, she takes Spike, Faith, Xander and the best of the potentials with her to find him.  Tracking him down to an old vineyard the gang find the basement and a whole load of Bringers.  After fighting them off they find themselves faced with a worse enemy, Caleb himself.  After knocking Buffy flying with merely a bat of the hand, he proceeds to disarm the rest of her crew one by one.  Admitting defeat Buffy takes what is left of her crew and makes a hasty retreat.  Helping the last of the girls to safety, Xander is caught by Caleb who takes him by the face and commenting that he is the one that sees everything pushes his thumb into Xander’s eye.  At the hospital Buffy survey’s what is left of the potentials and her friends, lying there bruised and bandaged. 
Cider
The road out of Sunnydale is jammed, walking against the flow of traffic Buffy passes, closed businesses, everyone is leaving town. Even Clem.

At the police station, Giles and Willow are posing as Interpol in order to get some information on Caleb from the increasingly spooked cops.  As they leave, the cops discuss news of a fugitive that's come home to Sunnydale.  Meeting Buffy at Xander’s sick bed in the hospital, Willow hands over information she has fraudulently obtained, while Xander bravely tries to laugh off his loss.

Back at the Summers’ place, Anya is giving the potentials a recap on what they have learnt about the ubervamps, while Andrew hastily scribbles on a flip chart behind her.  She’s not really winning in a motivating sense as, with the arrival of Caleb, the girls are mostly scared of him now.  Kennedy and Amanda soon slip out to join Faith and her potato chips in the kitchen.

Buffy returns and the girls start perusing the info she has on Caleb.  It’s not pretty.  Leaving Faith to it, Buffy heads back to the deserted school. Sitting at her old desk she tenderly picks up a picture when Caleb appears.  He tells her that Sunnydale, the school, the seal and even her are all part of a sweeping tide of change, and the fight begins.  Again, he takes her out quite easily but leaves before finishing the job off.

Meanwhile Dawn updates Giles on their findings while Andrew moans to anyone who will listen (namely himself) that someone ate the last Hot Pocket.  Telling Andrew to shut up, Giles looks at the book that Dawn just gave him, it looks like they may finally find something about Caleb that might help, an abandoned church up north in Gilroy that they believe has been recently inhabited by Caleb and his gang.  Sending for Spike, Giles asks him to check it out and, exasperated with his whining, tells him to take Andrew with him.  With not much to do until Spike and Andrew get back, Faith has an idea on how to keep the girls minds occupied, she takes them to The Bronze, where there still appear to be a few people left.

Buffy returns to find a strangely empty house, only Giles remains, but at least it gives them a chance to catch up on each other’s news. Buffy is generally not happy, not happy that Giles sent Spike on another mission and not happy that he let Faith take the girls to The Bronze.

At the Bronze, the law has caught up with Faith and she seems to be looking forward to the action, the cops take her outside where she finds that they are not about to play nice.  Which is fine by her. While Faith and the cops fight, inside the others are prevented from leaving, but the cops didn’t reckon on having to deal with a group of potential slayers and Faith soon has a few more on her side than she thought she would.  Buffy arrives just in time to see the end of it, and again she’s not happy.

Meanwhile, on the road, Spike and Andrew are having a nice conversation about deep fried onion blossoms.  They reach the abandoned church, to find it not so abandoned. Only one of its original inhabitants remains.  Scarred with mark of Caleb, and terrified of the newcomers, the father tells them what Caleb came there for, an inscription in a secret room even the brothers didn’t know was there. But Caleb hadn’t liked what it said, ‘it is not for thee, it is for her alone to use’

Back in Sunnydale, Xander arrives home to a welcoming party, but the group aren’t all just gathered for him.  Buffy has a new lead.  When Caleb came to her he was all about the school and the seal, but if the school and the seal are so important, why aren’t they guarded.  Whatever they are hiding, they are protecting it, and they are protecting it in the vineyard, and Buffy plans to go in and get it, whatever it is.

Faith, however, has other ideas, and the others all seem to be on Faith’s side.  No matter how good her judgement has been in the past, collectively they each and every one of them vote Buffy out and Faith in.  Stunned she turns and leaves.
Cider 0709/03
Touched
With Buffy gone and her leadership with her, the potentials all try to have their say all at the same time; Faith finally manages to take control by suggesting they get some sleep, that is until the power cut hits.  Meanwhile Buffy walks the streets while around her people are leaving town in droves.  Looking for a place to crash, Buffy breaks into a house only to find herself confronted by the householder with a gun.  Without even blinking, she disarms him and tells him he should leave.  Which he does.

Waiting for the sun to go down so that they can return from their mission, Andrew attempts to while away the hours with Spike by a jaunty game of I spy whilst the remaining scoobies and potentials are holding a cheery meeting by candlelight.  Faith comes up with a plan, kidnap a Bringer and make him talk then follows up the plan with a Buffyesque leadership speech.

Deep underground the forces of darkness continue their search for whatever it is they are hoping the slayer won’t get her hands on. Which The First assures Caleb she won’t because Caleb is gonna kill her and all her potentials. 

Meanwhile Faith’s plan is taking form as Kennedy acts as bait to trap and kidnap a Bringer.  Mission accomplished they return to Slayer central which is where the flaw in the plan comes out.  Bringer’s got no tongue, therefore cannot speak.  Handily Dawn’s been at the research again and comes up with an old Turkish spell to communicate with those who cannot speak. 

Their own mission accomplished Spike and Andrew return to find Buffy gone, and while Willow’s diplomatic explanation for her absence has obviously been well rehearsed, Spike sees right though it and, as usual, tells it like it is, which leads to a Faith and Spike show down.

The bickering between potentials and scoobies continues in Buffy’s basement as Willow tries to cast the talking spell on the Bringer.  Despite the bickering the spells takes hold and Andrew reveals all as the mouth of the Bringer.  The extermination of the slayers, preparation for war.

It doesn’t take Spike long to sniff out the slayer in her new hide out and first berates her friends for kicking her out and then tells her that she was right all along.  Caleb was hiding something from her and it is at the vineyard.  But Buff ain’t interested. She’s tired and really rather glad not to have the responsibility anymore.  But when she’s done with her whinging, Spike has a little something to say of his own. He loves her, but not for the reasons that she thinks, not because he can’t have her, but because of who and what she is, and how she tries, so hard and doesn’t give up.  Speech over he’s about to leave, but Buffy asks him to stay and hold her while she sleeps.

After the success of her first plan, Faith has hatched another and this time there’s a big fight involved.  Before she can get a good night’s rest in readiness for the big day, The First turns up in the guise of The Mayor (in his human form, not his charred snakey form).  Of course, as usual, The First is trying to sow seeds of doubt and dissension, telling Faith to watch her back, as Buffy will be after it.  Their little chat is interrupted by Robin Wood, and Faith admits to him that The First freaks her out and it seems she too is finding the responsibility a little hard, which is cue for another little pep talk which leads to a bed scene.  But this one gets groiny.

In the next room, Kennedy has managed to get rid of the potentials so that she and Willow can have some groiny alone time of their own.  While downstairs Xander and Anya share a tub of ice cream whilst bemoaning the fact that they are not getting any of the groinyness and so get some ‘closure sex’ of their own.

Morning comes and Buffy awakes in Spike’s arms, fully clothed for once, but when Spike awakes Buffy is gone and in her place, a note lies.  Back at 1630 Rovello Drive, Andrew tells the gang what Spike and Buffy already know.  The First and Caleb are protecting something that they don’t want the slayers to get their hands on.  His theory is it’s a weapon.  Handing out the orders, Faith takes the potentials off to find an arsenal while the others are tasked with spying on Buffy.
At the vineyard, Caleb and The First are almost ready for war when Buffy arrives, looking purposeful.  As the fight begins, Buffy has new strategy, rather than try and hit, just avoid being hit.  Meanwhile Faith and friends have found the arsenal they were looking for, along with a whole load of Bringers and the first battle begins.  While Buffy and Caleb duke it out at the vineyard, the battle rages until suddenly the Bringers disappear.  The girls are a little confused that is they find the trap that has just been set for them in the form of a great big bomb.  Buffy, however, is having a little more luck; she’s found a great big axe, embedded, Excalibur style, in a rock. 
Cider 28/09/03
End of Days
At the school the bomb explodes scattering slayer and potentials alike, while at the vineyard Buffy pulls the axe out of solid rock with one had, to Caleb’s immense dismay.

Buffy and Caleb prepare to do battle but Buffy/The First steps in and tells Caleb to let the real Buffy go, she has friends that need help, and they can always come back for the axe later. 

In the ruins of the school the remaining potentials search for the injured and dead and start searching for a way out but soon find their way barred by ubervamps.  They try to fight but, finding themselves surrounded the panic soon sets in, that is until Buffy and her shiny new axe make their dramatic entrance.

Back at the Summers’ place Andrew has been taking advantage of the abandoned town and ransacking the local stores for supplies, while Willow and the others have been out looking for Buffy with no joy. 

Buffy soon returns home with the wounded, among them Faith, and 1630 Rovello Drive soon becomes a make shift hospital and Buffy slips back in charge with ease and with a plan. The wounded all being cared for Buffy shows her axe to Giles and Willow, telling them that she feels something strong when she holds it, and somehow knew that it belonged to her.  The three can only come up with one theory about it, they need to find out everything there is to know about it, and fast.

Tending to the sick, Andrew and Anya figure that they need better supplies and that the hospital will be just as abandoned as the stores.  They head on over there for more pilfering.

In the kitchen, Buffy puts the next part of her plan into action, a part that involves asking a huge favour of Xander, who’s now sporting a jaunty little eyepatch.  Meanwhile, Willow has been doing what she does second-best, searching the net for information and has discovered that the vineyard used to be a monastery, and before that a pagan temple, but that lead’s getting them nowhere. She starts searching for information on the weapon itself and finds a strange symbol that triggers a memory for Giles and via a diatribe about hieroglyphs, tells Willow to find out where the pagans buried their dead.

Outside Xander lures Dawn into his car on the pretence of looking for a crossbow, (and we finally learn what happened to Miss Kittyfatasico, seems there was a nasty accident involving Dawn and a crossbow) and when the opportunity presents itself, knocks her out with chloroform and speeds off out of town.

Upstairs, Faith tries out the scythe for size, sensing its power she returns it, together with the leadership, to Buffy.  Faith reveals to Buffy that she has always been a loner, always looked at Buffy and her friends with envy and when she finally got to be in Buffy’s place, she never felt more alone in all her life.  Buffy returns downstairs just as Spike gets back, they talk, stilted and  awkwardly and she tells him that she has to go and find out more about the scythe, Spike says he will watch over Caleb while she does.  She’s about to head out when she stops and turns on him saying that she is sick of all the mixed signals, he interrupts and tells her that last night was the best night of his life, he has never been that close to anyone before and it terrifies him. She quietly lets him now that it meant a lot to her too.

At the hospital, while they steal stuff Andrew admits to Anya that he doesn’t think that he’ll make it through the coming fight before challenging her to a wheelchair fight.

Buffy walks through one of Sunnydale’s many cemeteries and enters a tomb, here she finds an old woman who tells her she’s been waiting for her.  She was, the old woman says, one of the people that embedded the scythe in the rock, the scythe, she continues, was forged in secret and kept hidden from the Shadow Men, the men that eventually became the watchers.  The weapon was used just once, to kill the last pure demon that walked the earth and since that time it has remained hidden. It is a very powerful weapon, and it being found can only mean that an end is near, one way or the other. 

Before she can say more, her neck is snapped from behind and as she falls to the floor, Buffy sees Caleb behind her.

When dawn finally awakes, she and Xander are well on the road out of Sunnydale.  Xander passes her a letter from Buffy to explain.   But Dawn is having none of it., knocking Xander out she turns the car around and heads back to Sunnydale.

In the tomb, Caleb and Buffy fight, Caleb getting the better of Buffy despite her new weapon.  He is about to deal the final blow when a fist from nowhere knocks him flying.  Angel follows the fist and boy, is Buffy glad to see him.  She wants to finish the fight alone though, and Angel stands by and watches as the fight resumes and Buffy slices the good preacher in two and he falls to the floor.

The fight over, Buffy shows Angel how glad she is to see him with a passionate kiss, while from the shadows Spike watches everything.
Cider 27/10/003
Chosen
Istanbul night, a woman runs for her life through the streets, followed by cloaked someones or somethings. She climbs a drainpipe to get away, hands grabbing at her ankles, reaching a rooftop she thinks she is safe but her pursuers are there before her and push her to the ground. Hurt she lies there as one of the cloaked beings holds her and the other draws a knife.

Sunnydale cemetery, night a newborn vampire emerges from his grave as Buffy gives Dawnlessons on how to slay. As the vampire struggles to free himself, Buffy tells Buffy pulls him out by the scruff of his neck. As he turns on her, she grabs him by the throat and tells him he can have Dawn.

Dawn stands stake in hand as the vampire launches himself at her, as he approaches she falls and the vampire flies right over her and into a gravestone, they standing up, dawn stakes the vampire but misses his heart. Rising the vamp attacks and Dawn is ready with her stake, the vamp grabs her and is about to bite when Buffy steps in and finishes him off. The lesson over, Buffy congratulates Dawn on her first attempt, consoling her with the news that she missed the heart her first time too.

Vampires, however, are nothing compared to what's coming, Sunnydale Highschool has been re-built on the original site and Dawn will be one of the new pupils.

Westbury, England, Giles rides his horse across the open countryside, dismounting he walks toward a tree beneath which sits Willow. As she looks at the ground a flower springs up and opens in front of her eyes. Willow has been learning how to control her power but she can feel that the coven teaching her are afraid of her. Willow gets up and as she does so the flower wilts back into the ground it came from.

Back in Sunnydale, Xander arrives at the Summers' house all dressed up in a suit and carrying some plans, inside Dawn is getting ready for her first day at school. Spreading out the plans, Xander, who's construction company is responsible for the re-building of Sunnydale High (you'd have thought he would have known better), spreads out the plans and assures Buffy that there is nothing mystical whatsoever about the new building. The only point of interest being that where the library once was now sits the Principal's Office, right over the mouth of hell

Buffy checks that Dawn is all ready and prepared for her first day at Sunnydale High, complete with books, lunch and stakes and gives her a back to school gift, a mobile phone.

Arriving at the new school, Buffy walks Dawn to class and bumps into the new Principal, Robin Wood, who makes a good first impression by thinking that Buffy is Dawn's mom. With Dawn on her way to class, Buffy roams around the new school, as she approaches the lockers a basketball slams into them and bounces back into the hands of the thrower.

Investigating, she sees the back end of a boy just as he turns into another hallway, she follows but he's gone. Passing the basement door, Buffy finds her way to the bathroom. Standing in front of the mirror she checks for 'mom hair' and notices a talisman by the basin. As she picks it up a zombie appears behind her, she spins around but it's gone, only for another to appear beside her screaming get out.

Dawn is introducing herself to her class when Buffy bursts in shouting that it's not safe, realising she is in a class full of students she makes a feeble excuse and leaves. Dawn concludes her introduction with the words 'I also have a sister'

In a coffee shop, Anya and Halfrek sit drinking coffee as a band play. As they talk, Halfrek breaks the news to Anya that it's been noticed that she just not delivering when it comes to the vengeance. Instead of handing out death and evicerations she recently turned someone French when his wife wished he was a frog. There's an old evil coming, she says, and now is not the time to be one of the good guys.

Buffy meets Xander at a not yet quite constructed part of the school and brings him up to date on the zombie issue whilst, in class, Dawn lends a pencil to a guy who turns into a zombie and stabs her in the eye with it. Screaming she falls to the floor, by the time the teacher asks her if she's alright it's gone. With an excuse as flimsy as her sister's she leaves for the bathroom pronto. Sitting down she hears sobbing coming from one of the other cubicles, investigating she finds Kit, huddled up, saying there's someone there. Dawn coaxes her out of the cubicle only to find three zombies standing by the mirrors. Above them the lights explode, the girls try to run but hands come up through the floor, pulling them down into the basement.

In Westbury, Giles kneels in front of his house, holding Willow as she screams. Coming round she tells him that she felt the earth and saw it's teeth, the Hellmouth is going to open.

In the basement Kit wakes and rouses Dawn. Trying to find a way out they bump into the basket ball guy, Carlos only to find that the zombies are back and they are surrounded. Dawn remembers her mobile and rings Buffy who has bumped into the Principal and is trying to persuade him that Dawn should be expelled as soon as possible.

With another feeble excuse, Buffy heads for the bathroom and jumps through the hole that Dawn and Kit went through. Searching the basement she soon finds the zombies, who tell her they blame her for their deaths but Buffy's not really caring, she just wants to find Dawn. Realising that they are blocking her way to a door Buffy starts the fight, still finding herself on the wrong side of the door, she decides to find another way in, diving over them she reaches the door which opens to reveal Spike.

Laughing insanely he tells her to duck as a zombie attacks her with a metal pole from behind, fighting she manages to shut and bolt the door on them. Turning to Spike she asks him if he's seen Dawn but Spike is really not making sense. Walking up to him she pulls his open shirt back to reveal scars over his heart, he tells her that he tried to cut it out. She looks concerned but the phone interrupts and Dawn tells her that the zombies have dragged them into a room near the furnace while Spike mutters to himself in the background. Buffy has to admit that she doesn't know what she is dealing with so, in a strangely coherent moment, Spike tells her that they are manifest spirits raised by a talisman to seek vengeance. A four year old could figure it.

Leaving Spike she finds the zombies gone and, remembering the talisman she saw in the bathroom, she calls Xander.

In the furnace room, Dawn takes control and they look for a weapon, the guy finds some bricks and Dawn fills Kit's handbag with them just as the resentful dead guys return. Dawn takes one out with the brick filled bag, hearing the screams Buffy rushes to her sister's aid and the fighting begins for real.

Above them Xander finds the talisman and finds that he too has zombie company, breaking the talisman he looks up to see the zombies vanish into yellow dust, down in the basement the zombie's meet with the same fate.

In the hallway, the new Principal watches as Buffy chats to Dawn and her new friends, as they leave for class he approaches her. Congratulating her on getting Carlos and Kit, (possibly the only two kids in the school with a thicker file than Buffy's was) to class he offers her a job. It would only be a couple of days a week and the money wouldn't be great, Buffy snaps his hand off before he even gets a chance to sell it to her.

In the basement, Spike crouches on the ground, hugging himself, talking to himself: "Everything's ... I had a speech. I learned it all. Oh, god, she won't understand, she won't understand..." Warren appears, pacing around Spike: "Of course she won't understand, Sparky. I'm beyond her understanding. She's a girl... she's sugar and spice and everything... useless unless you're baking... I'm more than that. More than flesh..."

Morphs into Glory: "more than blood. I'm... you know, I honestly don't think there's a human word fabulous enough for me! Oh my name will be on everyone's lips, assuming their lips haven't been torn off. But not just yet... that's alright, though...."

Morphs into Adam: "... I can be patient. Everything is well within parameters. She's exactly where I want her to be, and so are you number 17." Adam looks down at a confused, listening, Spike. "You're right where you belong..."

Morphs into The Mayor, who crouches by Spike: "So what ya think, you'd get your soul back and everything would be Jim Dandy? A soul is slipperier than a greased weasel, why do you think I sold mine? Well, you probably thought that you'd be your own man, and I respect that...But you"

Morphs into Drusilla who caresses Spike's face "never will... you'll always be mine...You'll always be in the dark with me, singing our little songs, you like our little songs, don't you? You've always liked them, right from the beginning...and that's where we're going"

She rises, morphing into The Master "Right back to the beginning. Not the Bang, not the Word, the true beginning. The next few months are going to be quite a ride, and I think we're all going to learn something about ourselves in the process. You'll learn you're a pathetic smuck, if it hasn't sunk in already... Look at you, trying to do what's right, just like her. You still don't get it.. It's not about right... it's not about wrong..."

The Master morphs into Buffy, who crosses her arms "... it's about Power..."