Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
You're just scared. Of course I'm scared.
Last time we were here, 33.3% of us were flayed alive.
- Nice job. - Do you have any idea how hard it's been to act this cool?
That death thing was all part of the master plan.
If Jonathan pulls off his end of the bargain, we'll both become gods.
- [ Dawn ] I saw Mom. - Things are coming, Dawn.
- Why are you-- - When it's bad, Buffy won't choose you.
- It wasn't her. - What?
It's the big bad, Dawn. The one we knew was coming.
What the hell happened? This big evil that's been promising to devour us?
- Well, I think it started chomping. - Oh, God.
Buffy, this thing knows us.
It made us think that we were talking to people we knew.
I'm just a guy with his ear to the ground, but even I can feel it.
Something's coming.
I don't know what exactly, but something's brewing.
And it's so big, ugly and damned, it makes you and me look like little bitty puzzle pieces.
[ Roars ]
Buffy, he's been feeding on human blood. That's gotta do stuff.
I think there was something there, talking to him, making him do things.
♪ How could you use a poor maiden-- ♪
Spike!
[ Roaring ]
I remember.
I've killed, and I can feel 'em.
I can feel every one of them.
There's something playing with us.
Why is it doing this to me?
I don't know.
Help me. I'll help you.
This thing has been closer to Spike than any of us.
And if you want to understand it--
I'm gonna have to get close to Spike.
Robson, are you here?
Robson!
- Dear God, I thought you were-- - Gather them.
- What? - It's started.
It's all right. I understand.
I'll take--
So, the basement was filled with bodies?
Apparently.
And Spike could have sired countless others...
and buried them around town.
And we're waiting for him to do what exactly? Do something crazy?
It's not that simple.
Shouldn't we stab him through the chest?
I mean, isn't that what we do when these things happen?
Look, Buffy knows what she's doing.
Well, Xander, you know what we're all talking about.
I mean, you've always been part of the "Spike is evil" faction.
I've got a house to put back together.
Fine. You guys keep your heads buried in the sand.
But I think we should all prepare ourselves for the possibility...
that William the Bloody is back.
All right. Lookin' good.
How do you feel? Good.
Excellent. We've got work to do. Do we have to do work right now?
Can't I just walk around for a while in my coat?
Don't go soft on me now. We're right in the trench,
and the exhaust port's in sight.
I thought that was it. I did what you told me. It's not my fault it didn't work.
And why do I have to do all the wet work?
Hey! You know the rules.
I can't take corporeal form.
Feel.
Mm-hmm.
Cool. Pretty bitchin', right?
I'm like Obi-Wan. Or Patrick Swayze.
Believe me. I would do this stuff if I could.
I can't.
I need you. You're my iron fist.
[ Sighs ] I just don't think I can kill anybody else.
Oh, will you stop worrying about that.
I didn't want to kill you. Warren made me. Hey, I'm glad he did.
This is the best thing that's ever happened to me.
It didn't hurt too much? I-I'm not very good at stabbing.
You know, it wasn't that bad.
It was like a-- a sharp pain, then a burning,
then a general queasiness.
Kind of like when I used to get ulcers in high school,
only at the end, I became one with light and hope.
I can't do it. I-- I can't do it anymore.
Hey, this isn't your fault, okay?
It's my fault the ritual didn't work. I screwed up.
I'm little. I don't have as much blood as other people.
I probably should have told someone I was anemic.
Don't worry. We're gonna fix it.
You gotta trust us. We know what we're doing.
I can't kill anybody else.
Okay, calm down.
We can work around that.
We're gonna get to the bottom of this.
We just can't take any chances.
Don't.
Make it tighter. The knots will give.
I get free, someone's gonna die.
Now, guys, look. We can settle this one of two ways.
You can repaint the walls, or...
I can suspend you and report this little incident...
on your permanent record.
Fine. Do that.
Okay, I was bluffing.
I hadn't really thought that one through.
Listen, this whole permanent record thing is such a myth anyway.
Colleges never ask for anything past your S.A.T. scores,
and it's not like employers are gonna be callin' up...
to check to see how many days you missed back in high school.
So, listen, I-- I could suspend you,
but that would mean calling your parents,
alerting your teachers, filling out paperwork...
and quite possibly having to talk to the school board.
All of which sounds positively exhausting to me.
No.
No, I think it would be much easier if I just called the police.
Let them deal with it.
Oh, and in case you're wondering,
this is the part where I'm not bluffing.
We'll repaint it.
Good job.
[ Knocking On Door ] Excuse me.
Miss Summers.
I'm with students.
I just wanted to tell you that Buffy won't be coming in today.
She's really sick. Oh, no.
Yeah. Last night she was vomiting,
and then this morning she was vomiting some more.
And then, just when we thought she was done,
she started vomiting again.
Yeah, we got that stomach flu going around. Her exact words were,
"I've got stuff coming out of both ends."
Thank you.
That's... very helpful.
Sure. No problem.
- Hey, guys. How's it goin'? - Pretty good.
Uh, tell your sister not to worry about it.
We'll soldier on without her here.
Just, um, tell her to concentrate on getting better.
Yeah, she'll be fine.
She just needs to get some stuff out of her system.
I need to find him as soon as possible.
He's not answering any of his numbers.
[ Travers ] Ms. Summers, the Watchers Council...
does not keep track of our lapsed employees.
Ever since Mr. Giles pulled up his stake in Sunnydale,
we've not made it our business to follow his every move.
You don't need to get all British and dodgy, Mr. Travers.
I know you have ways of finding him.
Well, I suppose, if you feel the matter is urgent, we could look into it.
I'd appreciate it. Thank you. Not at all. Good day.
The girl knows nothing.
And we need to find Rupert Giles.
As soon as possible.
[ Whimpering ]
Can I do something?
I think you should probably g--
Here.
[ Buffy ] He's been feasting on humans for weeks.
He's having some pretty bad withdrawals.
- I think we need to get him some blood. - Do you want me to kill Anya?
No. We should probably try to wean him off humans.
He'll have to make do with animal blood.
I'll go get some. You don't mind?
No, I have to get out of the house.
Xander's installing the new windows,
and he keeps giving lectures on proper tool maintenance.
Tool talk-- not my thing.
Thank you.
How you doin' in there?
He's in pretty bad shape.
Past the point where he can tell me anything.
I wasn't asking about him.
I'll be okay. [ First/Warren ] She won't feel a thing.
Just do it. Fast.
Cut her deep, cut her quick.
It'll be over before she knows what hit her.
What if she squeals? Uh, better go for her throat first.
- [ Snorting ] - Babe II: Pig in the City was really underrated.
Don't think about Babe. Right.
You're Conan. You're the Destroyer.
It's you against nature.
You're the hunter. You're primal.
You live off the land. You're Andrew.
Everyone knows you. You play by your own rules.
It's kill or be killed! That'll do, pig! [ Yells ]
[ Pig Squealing ]
No, you gotta-- you gotta corner it.
- Stay between it and the hall or-- - [ Squealing ]
[ Squealing ]
That's the worst attempt at pig slaughtering I've ever seen.
[ Panting ] I'm not very good at stabbing.
Isn't there some other way we can get blood?
Number 87.
I'd like 12 pork chops,
two pounds of sausage,
eight quarts of pig's blood, three steaks,
um,
halibut and, uh,
some toothpaste.
This is a butcher shop, Neo. We don't sell toothpaste.
Um--
Okay. Just the other stuff then.
You got it.
Hi.
Ooh, steak sauce.
[ Man ] Number 88.
Wait a minute!
Don't kill me! I'm not gonna kill you.
Don't torture me and send me to an eternal pain dimension. I'm not gonna.
Warren killed Tara. I didn't do it.
And he was aiming for Buffy anyway.
Not making it better.
And you got your revenge. You killed my best friend. We're even.
Even?
You think I get satisfaction from what I did?
Maybe not, but let me keep my skin, okay?
I'm not bad. I'm not bad anymore.
I'm good.
I do good things now.
Then why do you need lots and lots of blood?
I am bad. I'm bad. I'm evil.
But I'm protected by powerful forces.
Forces you can't even...
begin to imagine, little girl.
If you harm me, you shall know the wrath of he that is darkness and terror.
Your blood will boil, and you will know true suffering.
Stand down, she-witch. Your defeat is at hand.
Shut your mouth.
I am a she-witch.
A very powerful she-witch.
Or witch, as is more accurate. I am not to be trifled with.
But I-- I'm talking! Don't interrupt me.
Insignificant man.
I am Willow. I am death.
If you dare defy me, I will call down my fury,
exact fresh vengeance and make your worst fears come true.
Okay?
Look who I found.
Oh, this can't be good.
Guess who was buying mass amounts of blood at the butcher shop?
Hey, your hair's not even black anymore.
What are you doin' back in town?
You'll get nothin' out of me, carpenter.
We'll see about that.
Careful with my coat. It's expensive.
Is it new? Hey!
Ow.
Now, we can do this the hard way, Ow.
if you want.
But believe me when I tell ya,
this will go much easier...
if you just tell us what you...
know. Ow!
You're barkin' up the wrong asparagus. I don't know anything.
Here's the thing.
I don't believe you.
I haven't done anything wrong.
Well, then you won't mind if we ask you a few questions.
Yeah, okay. Why were you buying blood at the butcher shop?
I fell in love with a beautiful vampire girl down in Mexico.
Now we're tryin' to make a go of it on the straight and narrow...
and put our lives back together here in Sunnydale.
You think this is a game, junior?
People are dying. Friends' lives are in danger.
Hey, Anya. And now you want to waste my time with deceptions?
Not on my watch!
[ Groans ] Hey, Anya.
Can I talk to you outside for a second?
Did you see that?
I actually made him cry. You were perfect.
I was worried I overdid it with the whole easy way, hard way thing.
No, you were great. And I wasn't sure if I should slap him,
but then he made me want to, so I thought, "Okay, slap him." He'll be singin' in no time.
So, what do we do now? Well, now we let him stew in his own juices for a bit.
Then we give him the hard brace. Right.
[ Anya ] What's the status with your guy?
He's not talking yet. We'll get there.
- How's your guy? - The weasel wants to sing. He just needs a tune.
He's primed. I'll be pumping him in no time.
He'll give us information soon.
Better?
Good.
I don't remember anything.
Well, you were having pretty bad withdrawal.
No, not that.
I don't remember...
what I did.
Nothing?
Some flashes here and there.
It's like I'm watching someone else.
Do it-- kill people.
I've been losin' time for a while now.
Wakin' up in strange places.
When did your chip stop working?
Wasn't aware that it had, you know.
Not till now.
And the losing time? How long has that been going on?
Oh, things have been wonky for me ever since I got back.
Ever since--
You got your soul.
Figured that's what it was like.
Been so long since I had one.
How did you do it?
How'd you get your soul back?
Saw a man about a girl.
I went to seek a legend out.
Traveled to the other side of the world, made a deal with a demon.
Just like that? No, not just like that.
There was a price. There were trials.
Torture.
Pain and suffering...
of sorts. Of sorts?
Well, it's all relative, isn't it?
Meaning?
Meaning I have come to redefine the words "pain" and "suffering"...
since I fell in love with you.
How can you say that?
Apparently I just slaughtered half of Sunnydale, pet.
I'm not really worried about being polite anymore.
So, that's what this is about.
You're feeling sorry for yourself, Spike? I'm feelin' honest with myself.
You used me.
Yes. You told me that, of course.
I never understood it though.
Not till now.
You hated yourself,
and you took it out on me.
You figure that out just now?
A soul's not all about moonbeams and pennywhistles, love.
It's about self-loathing.
I get it.
I had to travel round the world, but...
I understand you now.
I understand the violence inside.
Violence?
William the Bloody now has insight into violence?
Not the same.
As bad as I was, as evil and as wretched as I was,
I never truly hated myself back then.
Not like I do now.
How's your face?
Okay.
Sorry about that. She shouldn't have hit you.
Okay.
Thirsty?
Go on.
That chick's psycho.
You don't know the half of it.
She's a vengeance demon, you know.
She's bad news.
This one time, I saw her having sex with Spike.
She's killed more men than smallpox.
Does smallpox still kill people? She's killed a lot of men.
She tortures them.
Anyone who incurs her wrath.
One time she--
Nah, never mind. What?
It's not important. What'd she do?
Well, there was this one guy.
There was this one guy. He, uh-- He hurt her real bad.
So she paid him back.
She killed him. But she did it real slow.
See, first she stopped his heart,
and then she replaced it with darkness.
And then she made him live his life like that.
But he still had to...
go do his job and see his friends and...
wake up in the morning and go to bed at night.
But he had to do it all...
empty...
without anything to look forward to.
Ever. Sounds bad.
Well, then she tore out his intestines and rubbed it in his face and took pictures of it.
Oh, God. But she's downstairs now.
Don't worry about her. What if--
See, the thing is, we've all been a little on edge lately.
Some bad things have been happening.
And the girls, they're all lookin' for someone to blame.
- I didn't do anything. - [ Anya ] You lying son of a bitch!
You're gonna tell us what we need to know, and you're gonna tell us right now!
- Anya, no! - [ Andrew ] Stop it!
Get off me, Harris!
[ Mouthing Words ]
- Come here, you pip-squeak. - [ Groans ] Get her off me!
I'll tell you! I'll tell you what you need to know!
[ Yelling ]
Excuse me.
Well.
We've got ourselves a problem.
[ Andrew ] Somebody help. Ow.
Everything okay?
Fine.
Okay.
[ Sighs ]
[ First/Spike ] What do I do? Job half done. Never send a boy to do a man's job.
[ Chuckling ]
♪ Oh, don't deceive me ♪
♪ Oh, never leave me ♪♪
Who were you talking to? What's that?
I heard you through the door. Who were you talking to?
Nobody. I was just, uh, keeping myself company.
Are you okay?
Fine.
How are you?
Now, you could talk, or I could keep hitting you.
Believe me, I'd love to keep hitting you.
Spike?
I'm fine, Buffy, really.
I'm just...
feeling a bit peckish, I suppose.
Do you mind?
[ Growls ]
[ Groans ]
[ Growls ]
We needed more blood to activate the Seal of Dan--
[ Screaming ]
He didn't seem to want anything to do with me.
I mean, he just pushed me aside and charged at the wall.
Are you hurt? Not-- Not really.
How's what's his name?
He's got a good chunk taken out of his neck, but he'll be all right.
Had to tie him up again, but mainly just to keep him
from scratching at his bandages.
What the hell happened up there?
I don't know. I mean,
Spike and I were having a conversation, and he was fine.
I mean, you know, fine as Spike can be.
And then I went to check on you guys, and when I got back...
it was... like he was a completely different person.
Different like William the Bloody type different?
He was talking to someone. I heard through the door. He was having this conversation.
And then he started singing.
Maybe it's another musical.
A much crappier musical.
He mentioned something about a song in the cellar.
Uh, and he changed there too. I mean, instantly became another person.
A trigger.
The horse? No. In his head.
It's a trigger. It's a brainwashing term.
It's how the military makes sleeper agents.
They-- They brainwash operatives...
and condition them with a specific trigger,
like a song, that makes them drastically change at a moment's notice.
Is this left over from your days in the army?
No, this is left over from every army movie I've ever seen.
But it makes sense.
We've had ghosts or something haunting us, right?
Well, what if Spike's ghosts have figured out a way to not only haunt him,
what if they've figured out how to-- how to control him?
Spike said he's been seeing things since I found him in the basement.
So, he gets his soul back,
he starts seeing spooky things,
and he goes extra, extra crazy.
This trigger-- How do we...
holster, safety, or--
I don't know guns. How do we make it stop?
Well, usually the operative completes his task...
and either blows his head off or steals a submarine.
All right. I need information.
If Spike's a bomb, then I need to know how to diffuse him. You two,
I want to know what did this to him-- spirits, ghosts, demons. Check the lot of them.
Look for anything that could haunt or-- or possibly control like this.
I need to know exactly what we're dealing with.
[ Footsteps Approaching ]
Did I hurt anybody?
You took a good bite out of Andrew.
Who?
Tucker's brother.
Oh. He'll be okay.
I don't remember.
It's okay.
Buffy, I don't know why.
[ Sighs ] We think we do.
Something's playing you.
Some ghost or demon has figured out how to control you.
I've got the gang researching it right now.
Xander has this theory that you're being triggered.
Kill me.
- What? - Buffy, you have to kill me.
You don't understand.
When I left the room earlier, I heard you talking to someone.
Do you have any idea what I'm capable of?
I was in the cellar with you. I saw what you did.
I'm not talking about the cellar.
The people in the cellar got off easy.
I'm talking about me.
Buffy, you've never met the real me.
Believe me, I'm well aware of what you're capable of. No.
You got off easy too.
Do you know how much blood you can drink from a girl before she'll die?
I do.
You see, the trick is to drink just enough...
to know how to damage them just enough...
so that they'll still cry...
when you--
'Cause it's not worth it if they don't cry.
- It's not your fault. - [ Scoffs ]
- You're not the one doing this. - I already did it. It's already done.
You want to know what I've done to girls Dawn's age?
This is me, Buffy.
You've gotta kill me before I get out.
We can keep you locked up. We'll keep you here, and we'll figure out--
Have you ever really asked yourself why you can't do it-- off me?
After everything I've done to you, to people around you?
It's not love. We both know that.
You fought by my side. You've saved lives, you've helped--
Don't do that.
Don't rationalize this into some noble act.
'Cause we both know the truth of it.
You like men who hurt you.
No.
You need the pain we cause you.
You need the hate.
You need it to do your job-- to be the Slayer.
No.
I don't hate like that.
Not you...
or myself.
Not anymore.
You think you have insight now...
because your soul's drenched in blood?
You don't know me.
You don't even know you.
Was that you who killed those people in the cellar?
Was that you who waited for those girls?
- There's no one else. - That's not true.
Listen to me.
You're not alive because of hate or pain.
You're alive because I saw you change.
Because I saw your penance.
Window dressing.
Be easier, wouldn't it? If it were an act.
But it's not.
You faced the monster inside of you, and you fought back.
You risked everything to be a better man.
Buffy-- And you can be.
You are.
You may not see it,
but I do.
I do.
I believe in you, Spike.
[ Screaming ]
[ Both Grunting]
[ Yells ]
[ Groaning ]
[ Grunting ]
[ Yelling ]
[ Groaning ]
Buffy. Dawn.
She's okay. [ Panting ]
Is this it? I thought there was more of 'em. Spike.
They were so fast.
And organized. They were after Spike all along.
And we were just in the way.
I know these guys.
I fought them before.
We aren't being haunted.
This isn't some demon.
It's all the same thing.
Spike's ghosts, the people that you guys saw.
"From beneath us."
It's all the same thing.
I know what we're up against.
The First.
[ Man ] They took our files, wiped out our records.
We've lost contact with operations in Munich, Switzerland and Rome.
And we've got casualty confirmations coming in from as far away as Melbourne.
Sir,
we are crippled.
It's all right, Lydia.
We are still masters of our fate.
We're still captains of our souls.
Yes, sir.
Ladies and gentlemen,
our fears have been confirmed.
The First Evil has declared all-out war on this institution.
Their first volleys proved most effective.
I, for one,
think it's time we struck back.
Get me confirmations on all remaining operatives.
Visuals and tacticals.
Highest alert.
Get them here as soon as possible.
Begin preparations for mobilization.
Once we're accounted for, I want to be ready to move.
Sir?
We'll be paying a visit to the Hellmouth.
My friends,
these are the times that define us.
Proverbs 24:6.
"For by wise counsel...
you shall make your war."
You'll have to excuse the spectacle,
but I've always been a bit of a sucker for the old classics.
[ Knife Slices ] [ Groans ]
Oh!
Oh, don't look at me that way.
I wanted to do this more subtle-like.
My harbingers have a tendency to call attention to themselves.
[ Screams ]
You're the one who couldn't hold his end of the bargain.
You're the one who couldn't take care of what's his name.
You're the one who had to make breakthroughs and learn something about himself.
Oh!
And so now, fittingly,
you're the one who gets to do the honors.
I have to admit-- I'm glad it worked out this way.
I was going to bleed Andrew, but...
you look a lot better with your shirt off.
To be honest, I'm getting a little tired of subtle.
I think it's about time we brought some authority to our presence.
Now, Spike, you want to see what a real vampire looks like?
[ Men Chanting In Latin ]
[ Growling ]
[ Roars ]
Grr! Arrgh!