Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy is on patrol in the cemetery, fighting a vampire. Giles is with her, critiquing her slaying technique. Buffy drives a stake through the vampire's chest and triumphantly looks to Giles for approval. But instead of commending her, he points out the flaws in her performance. As they chat, Giles notices a ring, left in the dirt by the slain vampire. Giles examines the ring, noting the strange decorative symbols. Giles tells Buffy that he believes the ring may indicate that the bloodsucker may have been more than just a common vampire. He promises to consult his books for further information.

Meanwhile, underground, The Master is consulting his own book. He is reading from it, to a group of his minions. He reveals that the Slayer will not recognize the Anointed One, and will not kill him. Worse, the Anointed One will lead her straight into hell. "As it is written," The Master continues gleefully, "so shall it be." "Five will die," he continues. "And from their ashes, the Anointed will rise," reads The Master. "The Brethren of Aurelius shall greet him and usher him to his immortal destiny." As he reads, he looks up and gestures to the group of vampires, standing in subservience: these are the Brethren of Aurelius. Having finished his story, The Master violently slams the book shut. He tells the Brethren that if they fail to bring him the Anointed One, if they allow the Slayer to stop them, that there will be terrible tidings in store for them.

The next morning, Buffy and Giles are in the library trying to deduce what the symbols on the ring mean. Buffy, sure that she recognizes the symbols, finds them in a text. It is a ring belonging to the Brethren of Aurelius. As they confer, Owen, a handsome student walks into the library, looking for a book. He and Buffy share an immediate chemistry, and they spend several minutes talking.

In the lunch room, Buffy notices that Owen is sitting alone and decides to join him. Unfortunately, the flirtatious Cordelia has also set her sights on the mysterious loner. She bumps Buffy out of her way, spilling Buffy's tray all over the floor. Unconcerned, Cordelia immediately goes into flirt mode, tossing her lustrous hair and smiling seductively. She asks Owen if he'd like to meet her at The Bronze that evening. Owen agrees, but only when he finds out that Buffy is also going. Buffy and Owen make a date for eight, much to Cordelia's chagrin.

In the hallway, Buffy and Willow run into Giles. He informs that the ring does in fact belong to a group of vampires, known as the Brethren of Aurelius. According to his books, the Brethren are propheFORBIDDEN to bring The Master a great warrior, known as the Anointed One. His calculations suggest that that Anointed One will be arriving in Sunnydale that very evening. Buffy is dismayed when she realizes that in order for her to stop the Brethren, she will have to miss her date with Owen. Giles reminds her that her duties as the Slayer are far more important than a high school date. Buffy reluctantly agrees, and spends the evening in the cemetery waiting for the Anointed One to rise. After waiting in the graveyard for several uneventful hours, Giles decides that he must have miscalculated. He allows Buffy to leave. Delighted, she skips off to The Bronze. But she arrives only to see Owen dancing in Cordelia's arms. Crushed, Buffy heads home.

Meanwhile, a group of people are passing through Sunnydale on a bus late at night. One of the passengers is walking down the aisle, making loud doomsday prophecies. A little boy cuddles in his mother's arms, frightened by the man's strange behavior. Suddenly, a man walks out into the middle of the road. The bus driver tries to avoid him, fails, and loses control of the bus. It weaves erratically before finally crashing into a light post. At first it appears that everything is ok. None of the passengers are hurt. But just as they all take a collective sigh of relief, vampires swarm the bus and start attacking.

The next morning, Buffy is standing by the lockers, telling Xander about her non-date with Owen. Just then, Owen approaches, asking why she didn't show. Buffy lies and says that she lost her watch and didn't know what time it was. Strangely enough, Owen not only accepts Buffy's lame explanation, he asks to reschedule. He even gives Buffy his pocket watch, a very FORBIDDEN looking time piece. Xander, listening to the entire exchange, has a sour expression on his face as he examines his own loony tunes theme watch. Buffy, still a bit concerned about the Cordelia factor, asks Owen about his dance with the popular flirt. "She's kinda grabby," Owen says, to Buffy's delight. As Owen walks away, Buffy glows and Xander glares.

Moments later, Buffy pops into Giles's office to confirm that she is not expected to patrol that evening. Talking very quickly, she makes sure that Giles cannot get a word in edgewise, before rushing off to FORBIDDEN Confused, Giles turns back to his books. "She is the strangest girl," he says, not without affection.

Underground, The Master is commending his vampires for a job well done. He tells them that after tonight, he will have a mighty ally; the Anointed One. "I will be one step closer to freeing myself from this mystical prison," he says waving his hand through the air. As he does so, the very air around him shimmers. "I've been trapped down here so long, I've nearly forgotten what it's like on the surface," he says bitterly. But his frustration is short-lived as he remembers how close he is to being freed. The Master instructs his Brethren to kill the Slayer if she tries to stop them. "Give your own lives, but do not fail to bring the Anointed," he orders.

At the Summers house, Xander and are helping Buffy get ready for her date with Owen. Willow is genuinely there to help, but Xander is clearly trying to make Buffy as unattractive to the opposite sex as possible. Just as she finishes dressing, the doorbell rings. Buffy rushes to let Owen in, and is none too pleased to find Giles on her doorstep. In his hand, is a newspaper with an article about the bus accident. The story states that five people died and Giles is sure that these are the five prophesied to die. He wants to investigate but Buffy is not about to lose her last chance with Owen. Suddenly, Owen appears on the doorstep, surprised to see the school librarian in Buffy's foyer. Xander and Willow distract Owen and take him into the next room, allowing Buffy and Giles to argue privately. "You have another date? Don't you ever do anything else?" he asks impatiently. Buffy is justifiably indignant. "This is the first date. There's never been a date! This is my maiden voyage!" she retorts.

Meanwhile, Xander is schooling Owen on how Buffy likes to be treated. He tells Owen that Buffy doesn't like to be touched or kissed and that Owen shouldn't even look at her. "Xander!" Willow scolds. Owen is mystified.

In the foyer, Buffy pleads with Giles to see things her way. "A cranky Slayer is a careless Slayer," she warns. Giles warns her that trying to lead a normal social life is problematic at best, for a Slayer. But Buffy reminds him that this is the nineties, and she can easily do both. Giles finally agrees that his lead is slim, and allows her to go out on her date. Buffy is ecstatic. "If the apocalypse comes, beep me," she says, brandishing a pager. Moments later, she and Owen leave. Giles looks after them, still not convinced that everything is fine. He tells Willow and Xander that he is going to the funeral home to investigate, just in case. Willow and Xander debate on whom to follow. Xander wants to spy on Buffy's date with Owen but Willow is more concerned for Giles's safety.

Buffy and Owen talk and flirt, and finally hit the dance floor. Cordelia arrives and tries to interrupt their date but Owen is firm: he's there with Buffy. Cordelia finally gets the hint and walks off, annoyed at being blown off in favor of the blonde Slayer. Finally rid of Cordelia, Buffy smiles up at Owen, settling comfortably in to the dance. "Are you uh, having fun?" Owen asks her. "Yeah," she smiles. "I almost feel like a girl."

Meanwhile, driving his rattle-trap, Giles arrives at the funeral home. He gets out of his car, only to be confronted by a couple of bloodsuckers. "Damn," Giles says. He pulls a cross from his coat pocket and thrusts it into the faces of the vampires. They hiss and turn away from the Christian symbol, as Giles uses the moment to dash inside. He frantically pulls on door after locked door as the vampires give chase. Finally, he finds an unlocked room and rushes inside. He pushes a heavy filing cabinet in front of the door, just as the handle starts to turn. He rushes to the barred window, hoping to escape, when two faces suddenly appear in it! Giles yelps but calms down when he sees that it is only Willow and Xander. They tell him that they saw vampires chasing him and came to warn him. Willow asks if he can get out the window, but after examining the iron bars, Giles knows that he won't be escaping that way. He asks them to get Buffy and bring her to the funeral home. They agree and rush off for The Bronze. "Do hurry," he begs, as the vampires continue to bang on the door to his hiding space.

Back at The Bronze, Cordelia is staring jealously at Buffy and Owen on their date. "I have never seen a girl throw herself at a guy like that," she says spitefully. Just then, the door next to her opens and Angel walks in. "Hello, salty goodness," she says, practically licking her lips. She starts to approach Angel, just as he stops in front of Buffy. Cordelia is floored. "Why is this happening to me?" she cries.

Angel warns Buffy that something serious is going down that night. "Not you too," she says, irritated. Buffy tells him that she knows about the prophecy and the Anointed One. Angel is annoyed at her cavalier tone, and even more annoyed to find her on a date with Owen. Owen and Angel eye each other, neither one too impressed with the other. Buffy introduces the two. Just then, Xander and Willow rush up to Buffy. They try to tell Buffy that Giles is in trouble, without letting Owen in on Buffy's secret. Finally catching on, Buffy agrees to go to the funeral home with them. Owen is excited at the idea: he thinks it sounds like a great adventure. But Buffy tells him to stay at the club and promises to return quickly. She plants a quick but intense kiss on his lips, and then dashes out.

When Buffy and friends arrive at the funeral house, they run into Owen who followed them. "This is so cool," he says, excitedly. Buffy leaves Owen in Xander and Willow's care, and rushes off to find Giles. She enters the room he hid in and sees that the bars on the window have been pried open. Suddenly, the prospects of finding Giles alive appear grim. "Giles?" she calls uncertainly. Just as Buffy picks up Giles's abandoned cross, the morgue drawer next to her rolls open and Giles climbs out. "What happened?" Buffy asks. "Two more of the Brethren came in here. They came after me," he explains. "But I was more than a match for them… I hid." Giles admits to Buffy that he wasn't sure if the Brethren were there after him, or if it had something to do with the prophecy. They decide to investigate, but first Buffy has to deal with Owen's presence at the funeral home.

Buffy runs out to find her friends. Owen is actually excited and looking around at everything, while everyone else just wants to get out safely. Buffy finds an office to hide them in, and tells Willow and Xander that if they hear anything to barricade the doors. She makes an excuse about needing to find a bathroom, and then runs off again to help Giles investigate. They look in morgue drawer after drawer, hoping to stake the vampire believed to be the Anointed One, before he can rise. Unfortunately, they find nothing.

Back in the office, Xander and Willow are forming a barricade of office furniture against the door. Wanting to explore, Owen opens a curtain that covers the entire length of one wall. It uncovers a window to another room, where a dead body lies still underneath a sheet. Owen is shocked when he notices the hand of the dead person move slightly. Suddenly, the dead man stands up, removing his sheet entirely: it's the crazy man from the bus crash. He looks down at his body and flexes his fingers. "I have been judged," the vampire cries.

The new vampire breaks the glass window, which is the only thing separating him from Willow, Xander and Owen. In the morgue, Buffy hears the glass break and comes running. The vampire throws back his head in laughter. "He is risen in me! He fills my head with song! Pork and beans, pork and beans…" The three rush for the door, tearing down their makeshift barrier, pillow by pillow. They finally escape the room as the mad vampire rushes after them.

Buffy sees her friends in the hallway and tears off in the vampire's direction. She finds Giles in the morgue and ensures that he has a weapon. Just as she is telling him to find the others, the vampire appears behind her and tosses her across the room. Giles rushes to her aid, but the vampire picks him up and throws him too. Giles crashes into a wall, hitting a button that activates the crematory. Still on the floor, the vampire lifts Buffy high in the air, preparing to strike his final blow. But at that moment, Owen rushes into the room. Grabbing a metal tray, he uses it to whack the vampire in the head. Buffy falls to the floor and the bloodsucker turns his attention to Owen. Just as he is about to bite him, Owen smashes a ceramic urn on the vamps head. As Owen leans over to help Buffy up, the vampire uses the door of the drawer to hit Owen in the head. Owen slumps to the ground. "Dead," the vampire says in satisfaction.

Buffy is furious. She throws a hard kick at his chest. "You killed my date!" she screams indignantly. Owen starts to wake up: he wasn't dead, just unconscious. Willow starts to tell Buffy but Xander tells shushes her – Buffy's anger is helping her win the fight. Finally, she throws him into the fiery crematory, turning the vampire to dust within seconds.

Buffy finally realizes that Owen is alive; hurt, but alive. "Does anyone have an aspirin… or 60?" he asks weakly. Buffy rushes to his side. Owen is confused and a little disoriented. Buffy offer to walk him home, but he declines. Willow and Xander promise to make sure he gets home safely. Buffy stares after them sadly, regret shining in her eyes. Giles tries to offer a word of comfort, but Buffy holds up her hand for silence and walks away.

The next day, Buffy grills her friends about the walk home with Owen. She asks again and again if he said anything about her at all. Unfortunately, he didn't. Buffy is sure that Owen was totally freaked out by the evening and never wants to see her again. But then, as they walk down the steps, Owen appears in front of them. Willow drags Xander away, who keeps looking back at them over his shoulder, jealous worry written on his face. Just when he thought Owen was out of the picture….

Owen tells a startled Buffy that he wants to see her again. She looks up, hope blossoming on her face. "Um, that was my hopeful ear," she says, "Could you repeat that?" Owen tells her that he thinks she's the coolest. She's just starting to smile when he tells her that he never thought nearly getting killed could make him feel so alive. When Buffy realizes that Owen's interest in her has more to do with her "exciting life" than her sparkling personality, she tells him that a relationship between them isn't going to work.

Moments later, Giles approaches Buffy. He tells her the story of how he learned of his own calling as a Watcher. He admits to her that he went through his own period of rebellion before finally accepting his duties. Even more difficult to understand at that age, he says, were the sacrifices that come with a calling. "Sacrifice," Buffy repeats softly as a moment of understanding passes between the Slayer and her Watcher.

Buffy apologizes to Giles for blowing off her work the previous evening. Giles tells her that no matter how many volumes on he has, none of it is an instruction manual. "We feel our way as we go along," he says. "And I must say as a Slayer, you're doing… pretty well." Buffy smiles at the rare compliment. They are both pleased that they stopped the prophecy about the Anointed One from coming true. They share a brief laugh, as they imagine how furious The Master must be, having failed to usher in the Anointed One.

But underground, The Master is sitting on his throne, happily talking to his brethren. "And in this time will come the Anointed. And the Slayer will not know him. She will not stop him." The Master steps down from his chair and smiles down at someone. "And he will lead her into hell." He kneels down to. "Welcome my friend," he says to the Anointed One. And staring back at him, wearing a slight smile is the small child from the bus.