Buffy the Vampire Slayer

A dark, deserted cemetery sweeps into view. Vampire activity appears to be extremely low as Xander and Willow walk down the sidewalk. Xander licks at his ice cream cone as he and Willow challenge each other to recognize famous quotes. Xander whines that the summer has been extremely boring: there haven't even been any monsters or vampires to slay. But since Buffy has spent the entire summer in L.A. with her father, the lack of demonic activity is a huge plus. Xander wonders when Buffy is planning to return to Sunnydale – but not, he claims, because he is still interested. Willow tells him that other than few postcards at the beginning of the summer, she too, has not heard from their blonde friend.

Xander diverts the subject, by swiping his ice cream cone at Willow's nose. "My nose is cold," she pouts. "Let me get that for ya," he offers wickedly. He leans in to lick the ice cream from her nose, but she pushes on his chest. "Xander!" she laughs. "Sorry, I can't help myself," Xander admits. "Your nose looks so tasty." He reaches out to her face, gently wiping her nose clean. Their faces are inches apart as they stare intensely into one another's eyes. Xander's hand lingers around her ear, gently cupping her cheek. He leans in for the kiss. Just as their lips are about to meet, a vampire looms up behind Willow!

Willow screams and leaps off the wall. The two friends rush across the street. "Willow, go," Xander orders. He turns and sends a punch flying across the vampire's jaw. He hasn't been the Slayer's best friend for a year for nothing. But the vampire grabs Xander and pulls him close, his fangs forcing their way toward Xander's neck. Suddenly, the vampire is pulled off Xander. Clad in a mini-dress and stilettos, a girl pummels and kicks at the vampire with ease. "Hi guys," Buffy says to the stunned Xander and Willow. The Slayer is back in town, and sporting a new layered, haircut. She turns and kicks the vampire straight into a sharp, protruding tree branch. The vampire dusts instantly. She turns back to her friends. "Miss me?" she asks, mischievously.

Xander rushes to hug Buffy and Willow follows suit. Just as Willow lets her go, Xander leans in for a second hug, startling the Slayer. "Man your timing really doesn't suck," he tells her gratefully. She admonishes them for not carrying so much as a cross with them. "Well, that's the first vampire we've seen since you killed the Master," Xander admits. Buffy looks surprised and also a bit chagrined. "It's like they knew I was coming back," she says with a tiny, mirthless laugh.

The three friends discuss their respective summers, none of which were very eventful. Xander tells Buffy that the biggest excitement of the summer was the ritual burying of The Master's bones. "That's right you missed it," Willow tells her. "Right out by that tree, " she says, pointing. "Giles buried the bones, and we poured holy water, and we got to wear robes." Xander tells Buffy how glad he is that she is back in Sunnydale. "Me too," she answers with a slightly unhappy smile.

Back at the Summers' house, Buffy's parents are unpacking her suitcases. Joyce is shocked at how many clothes and shoes her daughter managed to accumulate over the summer. Hank confides to Joyce that he was probably overcompensating for the fact that he was unable to make any kind of connection with his daughter during their summer together. He sadly tells his ex-wife that their daughter was distant the entire time – not brooding or sulking, just disconnected. "At least when she was burning stuff down, I knew what to say," he says worriedly. Joyce smiles ruefully at him. "Welcome to my world."

It's the first day of school at Sunnydale High and Cordelia is walking across the courtyard, flanked by two cronies. She whines to them that her parents broke their promise to spend the summer in St. Croix. Instead, she was forced to go stare at art and buildings in Tuscany. "I was totally beachless for a month and a half. No one has suffered like I have." Apparently, helping to save the world from vampires and demons has not softened Cordy. She is still a shallow, self-absorbed brat.

Meanwhile, Principal Snyder walks down the hallway complaining about children to Giles. He compares the students to locusts, mindlessly bent on feeding and mating. Giles is neither amused nor sympathetic. "I do enjoy these pep talks," he comments wryly. "Have you ever considered," Giles wonders, "given your abhorrence of children, school principal was not, perhaps, your true vocation?" Snyder misses the sarcasm and tells Giles that someone has to keep the little rodents in line.

As Snyder continues his long-winded rant about teenage "hormonal time bombs," the pretty computer-science teacher, Ms. Calendar, approaches, startling Giles. "Every time a pretty girl walks by, every boy turns into a gibbering fool," the bitter principal growls. Ms. Calendar smiles up at Giles, as he stumbles over his words. Snyder continues his diatribe. "You see the way these kids gaze at each other... all moony." Giles and Ms. Calendar stare at each other, the chemistry crackling. The two decide to head off to the faculty room together, leaving the oblivious Snyder behind. "I try and tell 'em about the important things in life. Discipline, responsibility, punctuality," Snyder continues, still unaware that he is alone. "Might as well be talking to myself."

Giles and Ms. Calendar walk into the school, discussing their summer and mildly flirting. They run into Willow, Xander and Buffy. Willow and Xander are excited to see him, but Buffy stands back, unsmiling. Willow tells Giles that Buffy killed a vampire last night. Ms. Calendar is surprised: the Hellmouth is supposed to be closed. Giles tells her that although the Hellmouth is closed, it is still active. The "mystical energy that emanates from it is still concentrated in this area." He wonders though, if the vampires are coming back out for any particular reason and promises to consult his books. Buffy is eager to resume her training schedule. For once, Giles offers to give her a bit of a break, but she declines. She is more than ready to get back to her training.

Buffy is in the library training. She leaps, kicks, punches and flies through the air, with the ease of a practiced gymnast. She punches a wooden training block harder and harder as images of The Master's face flash across her eyes. Giles tells her to stop, but the Slayer ignores the directive; throwing punches with more and more intensity. She finally executes a hard side kick, breaking the block in half. Giles is shocked. The Slayer runs her hands through her hair, panting hard. "I'm ready. Whatever they got coming next, I'm ready," she promises. Giles stares at her, concern evident on his face.

Across town, in an abandoned brick building, a black vampire named Absalom is preaching to his demonic comrades; promising them that all is not lost. "We have been put down kinsmen. We have lost our way. We have lost the night. But despair is for the living," he preaches. "Where they are weak, we will be strong. Where they weep, we rejoice. Where they bleed, we drink," He laughs evilly. "Within three days, a new hope will arise. We will put our faith in him. He will show us the way." Inspired by his own speech, the vampire smiles grotesquely, leering at his leader; Colin, the Anointed One, sitting atop a throne.

Buffy sits alone on a couch in the student lounge, staring moodily into space. Xander and Willow join her, cracking jokes and trading lunches. Buffy mentions that her night was fraught with nightmares. Xander reminds her that dreams are meaningful. Willow starts to describe a dream she had involving Xander, but stops when she realizes the subject of her dream is staring at her with interest. She hastily drops the subject, and begins eating quickly.

Giles walks up to Buffy with the news that he thinks he has important knowledge of the vampire's plans. Buffy tells him that whatever it is, she will deal with it. Giles isn't sure that it's that simple, but Buffy assures him she can handle it, no matter what it is. "Oh I don't know," he says, chuckling. "I've killed you once; it shouldn't be too difficult to do it again." Buffy stares at her Watcher in horrified shock. "What?" she asks quietly.

Instead of answering, Giles throws a hard backhand swing across Buffy's cheekbone, knocking her down on top of a coffee table between the two couches. He jumps on top of her, wraps his hands around her neck, and squeezes the air from her lungs. Unconcerned, Xander chomps on his apple. Willow smiles at him, concentrating on her own lunch. Buffy struggles wildly and claws at his face. She rips a mask from his face, revealing the face of The Master! A second later, her eyes fly open. It was only a nightmare. Buffy is safe in her own bed.

Buffy sits up, running her hands through her hair, as she recovers from her nightmare. After a moment, she glances at her window to see Angel sitting on the sill. She looks anything but happy to see him. Angel gives her the news that the Anointed One is gathering forces in town, but he is unsure why. Buffy brashly tells him she could use the action. He warns her not to underestimate the Anointed One just because he looks like a child. He has power over the other vampires. But Buffy ignores his warning. "Is that it? Is that everything? Ya know, 'cause you woke me up from a really good dream. She stares at him insolently. He looks back at her, the hurt in his eyes evident. After a moment, she turns her back on him and snuggles back under the covers, determinedly silent. Angel looks at her for a moment in wounded confusion. "I missed you," he finally says quietly, his back to her. Buffy is silent for a moment. She turns back to him suddenly. "I missed you—" she starts to say. The words die on her lips as she sees that Angel has already disappeared into the night.

The next day, Joyce drives Buffy to school. Buffy hides behind a pair of enormous sunglasses as her mother tries to get her to open up about what's bothering her. Buffy maintains a stoic silence. Joyce finally gives up and falls silent for the rest of the ride to school.

In the hallways, Willow is excited to hear that Angel came to Buffy's room the night before. She asks Buffy if kissing was involved. "Willow, grow up. Not everything is about kissing," she answers sharply. "Yeah, some stuff's about groping," Xander jokes. Then it occurs to him. "It wasn't about groping?" he asks worriedly. Buffy tells them both that it was "pure shop talk." When they ask for details, she brushes them off. "Nothing I can't handle," she answers vaguely. She slams her locker shut, and the trio walks down the hall, chatting about Japanese band Cibo Matto's upcoming gig at The Bronze. Xander and Willow banter, as Buffy rolls her eyes, bored and annoyed with everything.

As they head into they are stopped by the ever irksome, Cordelia Chase. "Oh look, it's the Three Musketeers," she says less snidely than usual. Xander tells her that if that was an insult, it lacked punch. "I would've gone with Stooges," he advises. Cordelia shrugs. "So did you guys fight any demons this summer?" she asks brightly. Her voice carries and Xander and Willow desperately try to cover. "Uh yes, our own personal demons," Willow says loudly. "Uh, such as, as, as lust and uh thrift," Xander covers awkwardly. Buffy eyes them both. "I would have to go with Stooges also," she says disdainfully. They look back at her, stung. But before they can say anything about it to her, Cordelia diverts their attention by once again talking in a loud voice about demons and vampires. "What are you guys talking about," she asks. "I'm talking about big squiggly demons that came from the ground? Remember? Prom night? With all the vampires?" Xander pulls Cordelia off to the side, explaining that they can't discuss Buffy's Slayer duties in front of the general public. Cordelia looks at Buffy almost kindly. "Your secrets safe with me," she promises. But all the talk about The Master has gotten to Buffy and she snaps. "Well, that works out great," she says contemptibly. "You won't tell anyone that I'm the Slayer, and I won't tell anyone that you're a moron." She smiles meanly and shoves her way past them. Cordelia stares at the ground, stung by Buffy's out-of-character nastiness. "Now that was a good insult," Xander comments. Willow is thoughtful. "A little too good," she says apprehensively. Worried and confused, Willow, Xander and Cordelia stare after the departing Slayer.

Later that night, Willow and Xander hang out at The Bronze discussing the change in Buffy's personality. Willow tells him that something is off about the Slayer: she seems different somehow. Xander is reluctant to believe that anything is wrong. "She's never been mean," Willow tells him pointedly. Speaking of Buffy, Xander wonders where their blonde friend is. They were all supposed to meet, and Buffy is still a no-show. Xander cranes around looking for Buffy. Willow tries to get Xander's mind off Buffy and mentions that she likes the band. "Yeah, cool," he answers distractedly. Willow looks at him a moment, his attention still diverted. Hoping to remind Xander of their near kiss, she dabs some ice cream on her nose and looks at him expectantly. He glances at her disinterestedly. "You got something on your nose," he says vaguely, and looks back out into the crowd. Willow's eyebrows knit together, and hurt clouds her eyes. Disappointed and humuliated, she grabs a napkin and cleans her nose.

In the cemetery, Colin, his second-in-command, Absalom, and several minions are gathered around a grave, marked by a cross. Several of Colin's followers are gathered around him. A couple of vampires are digging up a grave with shovels. Absalom orders two of the other subordinates to dig as well, even though they do not have shovels. "We have to hurry," Absalom reminds them urgently. The vampire minions get down on the ground, clawing at the dirt. One of the vampires gasps in pain, as steam rises from the dirt. "The ground is consecrated," he cries, "It burns!" Colin is unmoved. "Dig," he orders calmly. The vampire returns to his digging, ignoring the burning pain brought on by the holy water drenched earth. As they continue to move the dirt, a skull is revealed. The vampires are exhuming The Master's skeleton!

Back at The Bronze, Cibo Matto plays a slow, provocative melody. All dolled up in a sexy black dress, Buffy walks into the club, swaying her slender shoulders seductively, as she glances around the room. Angel approaches her nervously, and asks her if he's done something wrong. Buffy tells him she's sorry if she was supposed to spend the summer mooning over him, but she hasn't. "I've moved on," she says scornfully, "...to the living." And with that parting shot, she saunters away, totally unconcerned. Standing a few feet away and looking totally glam is Cordelia, who witnessed the entire exchange. Wearing a concerned but irritated expression, she watches Buffy walk away from Angel.

Buffy joins Xander and Willow, looking friendlier than she has since she returned from L.A. She darts a glance at Angel, who is looking hurt and angry. Buffy turns back to Xander, standing very close to him. She smiles prettily up at him. "Let's dance," she proposes, suggestively. Xander is a bit shocked but is all too willing. Stunned and hurt, Willow watches her best gal pal lead the object of her desires onto the dance floor.

As Cibo Matto's sensual song "Sugar Water" plays, Buffy dances sexily with a love-struck Xander. Her body writhes up and down Xander's, as she pulls at his shirt, drawing him closer to her. Dancing close enough to kiss, her head tilted up towards his, their lips are almost touching. Teasingly, she turns, so that her back is pressed to his chest, allowing his hands to press against her stomach while they dance. As the song comes to a close, Buffy turns back to him, lifting her mouth a mere inch from his. "Xander," she breathes, moving even closer to his lips. "Did I ever thank you for saving my life?" Barely a half inch separates her mouth from his, as she moves seductively, teasing him mercilessly with her lips. "No," he finally answers. Buffy glides around him, so that she can whisper over his shoulder. With her hands resting lightly on the lowest part of his stomach, she asks, "Don't you wish I would?" And with those last mocking words, she sashays away, leaving a very confused, very aroused Xander alone on the dance floor. She waltzes over to their table, grabs her purse, and without a word to Willow, strolls out of the club, totally unworried about the devastation she is leaving in her wake. Crestfallen, Willow stares after her supposed best friend. Angel, too, watches her leave, his handsome features awash with anger and pain. Still in the very same spot on the dance floor, Xander stands completely still, unsure of what just happened.

Buffy stalks out of The Bronze. Seconds later, Cordelia calls out to her, having witnessed the cruel show Buffy put on to hurt Angel. "Buffy!" Cordelia calls loudly. Buffy comes to a reluctant stop, sighing in irritation. "You're really campaigning for bitch-of-the-year aren't you?" Cordelia asks her bluntly. Smiling, Buffy finally turns to face her. "As defending champion, you nervous?" Cordelia just smiles. She isn't the one Buffy's new not-so-improved attitude is hurting and she tells her as much. She offers Buffy some advice. "Whatever is causing the Joan Collins 'tude, deal with it," she advises. "Embrace the pain, spank your inner moppet, whatever, but get over it. 'Cause pretty soon you're not even gonna have the loser friends you've got now." For once, Cordelia's words are right on target. But instead of absorbing Cordelia's advice, Buffy ignores her, telling her to mind her own business. She pivots around, pulls her hood up sharply, and stalks off into the foggy night. "I'll just see if Angel feels like dancing," Cordelia calls, hoping to get a rise out of the Slayer. Suddenly a hand covers Cordy's mouth, and two vampires drag her silently into the shadows, Unaware of Cordelia's plight, Buffy continues walking away.

The vampires shove Cordelia down into a dark, dank basement. Cordelia fearfully takes in her surroundings. Stumbling in her heels, she lets out a surprised gasp when her stiletto nearly steps on a hand. She kneels down and brushes the dark hair off the face of the too-still body. "Oh God, Ms. Calendar!" she cries.

Buffy strolls through the cemetery; scared and startled to discover The Master's empty grave. She swallows nervously, panting with fear. Backing up slowly, she shakes her head back forth in terrified denial. Behind her, a growl sounds. Buffy whips her head around and sees The Master's grotesque face for a brief second before he vanishes into thin air. Buffy first looks back at the empty grave and then glances wildly around at the dark surrounding cemetery.

"She's possessed," Willow cries. She, Xander, and Giles are discussing Buffy's condition in the student lounge. Giles is skeptical but Willow latches onto the idea. If Buffy is possessed, it means she didn't really hit on Xander. It means she didn't really betray her best friend. It means she can forgive Buffy and everything will go back to normal once they fix her. But these arguments Willow keeps to herself, instead stating the obvious. It's the only thing that makes sense, she argues. Why else would Buffy be acting like such a b-i-t-c-h? "Willow, I think we're all a little too old to be spelling things out," Giles admonishes. "A bitca?" Xander says, confusedly. Giles rolls his eyes and gets back on subject. He is still not convinced that Buffy is possessed, regardless of her irrational, out-of-character behavior. He believes that Buffy's problem is that she has not properly dealt with the emotions attached to her experience with The Master. After all, Buffy did drown. She died, even if only briefly. That had to have been extremely traumatic, especially for such a very young girl.

Xander interrupts Giles's speech when Buffy appears in the doorway. Giles hurriedly changes the subject to trout of all things, and then says hello to Buffy, asking how she slept. "Master's gone," she says, simply. Giles is confused. She explains that she went by his grave the night before and found it empty. Xander and Willow wonder why anyone would want a vampire skeleton. But Buffy doesn't join in their banter. She already knows the answer. "They're gonna bring him back," she tells Giles. "They're gonna bring The Master back to life, and I seem to recall you telling me he was history." Giles stumbles over his words, assuring Buffy that he has never heard of a revivification ritual being successful. Buffy sarcastically thanks him for warning her that this kind of ritual exists. Giles is speechless. Willow speaks up to defend Giles, reminding Buffy that he did bury The Master's bones on consecrated ground. But before Willow can finish her sentence, Buffy interrupts, silencing her. "Look this is Slayer stuff okay? Could we have just a little less from the civilians please?" she says sharply. That's it. Xander has had it. He is just about to tell Buffy off, but Snyder appears. "Some of us have " he says, sending them off to "And some of us have jobs," he says, shooting a pointed stare at Giles. Giles tells the kids they can continue their discussion later in the library. "About trout," Willow says, for Snyder's benefit.

As the trio heads off, Snyder lingers by Giles. "That Summers girl," he growls. "I smell trouble. I smell expulsion and just the faintest aroma of jail." Giles advises the principal to give Buffy a chance before he decides her fate. Despite Buffy's recent deplorable behavior, the librarian still defends her. "You really have faith in those kids, don't you?" Snyder asks Giles, anticipating his response. But he is still amazed to hear Giles answer that he does believe the best of his students. "Weird," Snyder sighs, as he leaves. With his hands shoved deep inside his pockets, Giles stares after him, deep in thought.

After school, the gang is gathered in the library doing research on revivification rituals. Buffy is staring at Giles with a detached, insolent expression as he reads to the group what he has found. Giles asks them to be patient as the book is written in Latin and difficult to translate. From what Giles can gather, the tome states that to revive the vampire, one must have both the bones of the dead and the blood of someone closest to the vampire at the time of his death. Buffy takes that to mean that the vampires need her blood. "We were close. We killed each other. It really promotes togetherness," she says, staring at her hands. Xander starts to ask a question about the ceremony, but his words are cut off as a rock flies through a window near his head. Glass shatters everywhere and Xander ducks to avoid the flying projectile. Buffy neatly catches the rock in her hand. A note is wrapped around the rock, held in place by Cordelia's expensive silver bracelet. Buffy opens the note and reads it aloud. "Come to The Bronze before it opens, or we make her a meal," the note reads. Willow asks what they should do. Buffy speaks up and tells the others that she has to go to The Bronze... alone. They aren't coming with her. She can't handle fighting and trying to protect them at the same time. Hurt and insulted, they argue with her. Willow warns her that it's probably a trap. Giles concurs, telling the Slayer that she is playing straight into the vampire's hands. "I can handle this," Buffy says confidently. "Stop saying that! God, what's wrong with you?!" Willow cries in frustration. "Cordelia may be dead," Xander worries. Buffy stares at her friends silently for a moment. "This is my fight," she finally says. She turns around and heads out of the library, pausing only briefly to grab her bag and jacket. With varying degrees of worry and frustration, the three friends watch her go.

On her way to The Bronze, Buffy confronts Angel, scolding him for following her. "Ya know, being stalked isn't exactly a big turn-on for a girl," she informs him. Angel tells her he is there to help her, to watch her back. Buffy tells him she doesn't need his help. Angel asks her why she is being so harsh with him. She tells him she doesn't trust him: he is a vampire after all. Angel warns her that she's not as strong as she thinks. Buffy stares at him, a challenge in her eyes. She dares him to fight her, to find out what would happen if it came down to a fight between them. Angel tells her he won't fight her. "Come on," she says temptingly. "Kick my ass." Angel just looks at her and reminds her that she has somewhere to be. Buffy reluctantly remembers her mission. As she heads toward The Bronze, she tells Angel to stay out of her way.

Buffy enters the deserted club, glancing warily around her. By the steps, a girl with long brown hair sobs quietly. Buffy looks at the girl appraisingly as Angel appears behind her. Already aware of his presence, Buffy calls out a warning. "That's not Cordelia!" The sobbing girl's face comes into view, revealing the grotesque and smiling face of a female bloodsucker. The vampire giggles madly. "Cordelia couldn't make it," the vampire laughs.

Angel is worried and tells Buffy so. He looks around the deserted club, searching for more vampires or some sort of trap. Nothing is there. Something is not right. "There's the bait," he says, referring to the vampire. "Where's the hook?" With a monstrous roar, the vampire launches herself at the Slayer. But Buffy's reflexes are quick and sharp. She flips the vampire over, pinning her to the ground with a boot clad foot. "You're right," Buffy says, agreeing with Angel's theory. "Why would they send just one?"

Back at the library, Giles is pouring over his books, a pencil hanging from his mouth. Willow carries an open book, worrying aloud about Buffy. Xander gives an evil looking weapon an experimental wave. Giles gives a triumphant shout. He tells the kids that the Latin tome had been translated from Sumerian, but badly. What the ritual actually requires is the skeleton of the dead and the blood of those physically closest to the vampire when he died. "It is a trap," he says. Giles trails off as he sees vampires looming on the mezzanine level, behind Willow and Xander. "It just isn't for her."

At The Bronze, Buffy shoves the vampire at Angel, ordering him not to kill her unless he has too. Angel wants to know what she is doing, but she doesn't answer and rushes out. Moments later, she pushes through the double library door and discovers a virtual disaster area. Overturned furniture; scattered books; a computer lying broken on the floor… the place looks like an earthquake hit it. Buffy wanders through the devastation. A figure starts to rise from behind a table. It is Xander. Buffy rushes to his side, putting out a comforting hand to him, but he thrusts her arm away. His face is bruised and bloodied as he looks at her with barely concealed fury. Buffy asks him to tell her what happened. "Vampires," he answers angrily. "The ones you could handle yourself." Ignoring the jibe, she asks where the others are. "I don't know," Xander tells her bitterly. I don't know what your problem is, what your issues are. But as of now, I officially don't care. If you'd worked with us for five seconds, you could've stopped this." Buffy turns away, unable to face him and the hurtful truth of his words. "If they hurt Willow I'll kill you," Xander warns with grim intensity. She whirls to face him, unflinchingly. Ignoring his threat, she asks him why the vampires left him. Xander tells her of Giles's discovery. They needed those physically closest to The Master when he died; Willow, Giles, Cordelia, and Ms. Calendar. "We need to find out where [they are]," Buffy says coolly. Xander looks up at her bleakly, his face covered in blood. "How?"

As Xander and Angel watch, Buffy menaces the female vampire, torturing her for the information. The vampire just laughs mockingly at her. "You're too late," she smirks. "Your friends are dead." Buffy flips the leech onto the pool table and rips the cross necklace from her neck. She forces it into the vampire's mouth, closing her hands over its lips. Steam leaks out through Buffy's fingers as the vampire wriggles her head back and forth trying to escape the burning pain. The vampire moans in pain, unable to scream. Buffy rips the necklace back. "So. One more time," she says to the vampire.

In the abandoned warehouse, Colin and Absalom prepare the revivification ritual. Absalom gives the order, and one of the subordinates pulls on a tightly wound chain. Buffy, Willow, Giles and Ms. Calendar are hanging by their feet, suspended over The Master's skeleton, their hands hanging just above the bones. The vampire Absalom begins preaching to the followers. "Behold, these four mortals. Witnesses to our Master's wretched demise. They will breathe their last this night. The blood that pours from their throats will bring new life to the old one. We gather for his resurrection. For the dawn of this new hell."

As the vampire drones on, Buffy, Angel and Xander cautiously enter the building, having successfully extricated the information from the tortured vampire. Buffy's eyes widen as she sees her friends suspended from the rafters. She tells Angel and Xander to get the others, while she deals with the vampires. The group of vampires is gathered around the bones, performing the ritual. "For the dark," the vampires intone. Buffy takes one of the vampires by surprise, staking him from behind. Absalom looks up shocked. A moment of silence passes as the vamps realize that the Slayer is present. Absalom lets out a battle cry and the vampires' spring into action. They all attack, but Buffy is more than match for all of them. She fights with practiced ease, dodging, kicking, and punching with aplomb. Absalom stands protectively in front of Colin, the Anointed One, shielding him with his body.

While Buffy distracts the vampires, Xander and Angel are working to rescue their friends. Absalom notices this and shouts. "The sacrifices!" he yells to no one in particular. "Stop them!" A vampire heeds his cry and rushes to fend off Xander and Angel from saving the kidnapped four. Colin disappears and Absalom rushes out a side door, evading the Slayer and her friends.

Upstairs, Angel and Xander work desperately to free their unconscious friends. The vampire Absalom sent rushes, and Angel, wearing his vampiric visage, turns to face him. Evenly matched, the two vampires fight, eventually crashing through the floor and landing atop one another.

On the warehouse floor, Buffy struggles with a female vampire. The vampire pins her to the ground; Slayer and vampire struggling wildly to gain the upper hand. Finally, Buffy drives a stake through the vampires back, all the way through its rib cage and straight through the heart. The vampire turns to dust instantly, and Buffy is freed.

Having finally regained consciousness, Ms. Calendar crawls over to Giles, to check on his injuries. Giles is awake as well, and is completely fine. Xander sits on the ground, a sleepy Willow resting on his shoulder. "Where's Buffy?" Giles asks. "She's working out her issues," Xander answers as he watches Buffy fighting yet another vampire on the ground below. In a shadowy corner, Angel finally dusts the vampire that attacked him above.

Buffy and the vampire fight, with Buffy landing punch after punch and taking none. Despite being much bigger than she, this long haired vampire is no match for her. She knocks him backwards and into a shelf. It comes crashing down on him, momentarily stunning the scraggly looking vamp. "Enough!" shouts Absalom from the doorway. Buffy whirls to face him. Behind her, the scraggly vampire extracts himself from the fallen shelf. "Your day is done girl," Absalom promises. Clutching a wooden sledge hammer, he advances on the Slayer. "I'll grind you into a sticky paste and hear you beg before I smash in your face."

Buffy stares at him, unblinkingly. "So are you gonna kill me, or are we just making small talk?" With a furious battle cry, Absalom launches himself at the Slayer. The scraggly vampire rushes her from behind while Absalom comes at her from the front. Unconcerned, Buffy looks down for a moment. Then, quick as lightning, she grabs the wooden torch in front of her, breaking it with ease. Twirling the fiery weapon like a baton, she uses the wooden end to stake the scraggly vampire and simultaneously incinerating Absalom. The vampire's screams echo through the vast warehouse as he disappears in a burst of fiery light; his sledge hammer dropping harmlessly to the ground. Staring at the sledgehammer, Buffy lowers her own weapon to the ground.

From the second level, Xander and Willow have watched the entire fight. "It's over," Willow observes, as Buffy's weapon falls from her hand. "No, it's not," Xander tells her, insightfully. As her friends look on, Buffy retrieves the sledge hammer and slowly approaches The Master's bones. Raising the hammer high over her head, she brings it down forcefully, smashing the skeletons head. Tears fall from her eyes, as she brings the hammer down again and again, until the skeleton is nothing more than so much dust and there is nothing left to hit. Angel steps from the shadows, reaching out a comforting hand as Buffy finally lets her tears fall freely. She sobs unchecked into his chest as Giles looks on, concerned but relieved to see her finally facing her pain and fear.

The next day, the newly bonded Cordelia and Ms. Calendar walk across the grassy courtyard, discussing the kidnapping. "And you know what the worst part is… It stays with you forever. No matter what they tell you, none of that rust and blood and grime comes out. I mean, you can dry clean 'til judgment day, you are living with those stains," Cordelia tells the computer teacher. Ms. Calendar nods sagely. "Yeah that's the worst part of being hung upside down by a vampire who wants to slit your throat: the stains." Ms. Calendar's voice is laced with thick sarcasm but Cordelia is oblivious. "I hear ya," she agrees vigorously, rushing to catch up with the teacher.

Several feet away, Buffy and Giles stroll across the lawn. Buffy tells Giles that she is afraid to face her friends, after her recent abhorrent behavior. "I put my best friends in mortal danger on the second day of school," she moans. Giles tries to comfort her, reminding her that is hardly the worst mistake she'll ever make. Giles blinks. "That wasn't quite as comforting as it was meant to be," he tells her apologetically. "Points for effort," she says softly as the bell rings, warning students to head to

Buffy comes nervously into hesitating in the doorway. She looks over at her best friends, Xander and Willow. Xander is turned around in his seat, talking to Willow. He glances at the doorway and sees Buffy standing there staring at them. Without a word, he turns back to Willow. Unsure of her status with her friends, Buffy stops in front of her usual desk. Willow smiles at her. "We saved you a seat," she says with a friendly grin. Still unsure, Buffy looks at Xander briefly, and lowers herself into the desk. Xander breaks the ice with a joke. Buffy begins to smile as her two friends act like nothing happened. Xander suggests heading to The Bronze, but Willow reminds him that Wednesday's are kind of a dead night for the club. "Well, we could grind our enemies into talcum powder with a sledgehammer, but, gosh, we did that last night," he laughs. Buffy's small smile explodes into a full-fledged grin as she realizes her friends have completely forgiven her. The tension disappears as the trio of best friends talk and laugh, with no lingering hard feelings. All is well in Sunnydale at last.

Well, maybe not for everyone. Totally alone, Colin walks into the deserted warehouse, glaring at the smashed bones of the former vampire king. The Anointed One takes a good look around the warehouse, noticing that not even a single one of his followers remain. Irritated, he moans aloud. "I hate that girl!"