Connor shows up Buffy, meets Dawn and impresses Anya. Then Spike gets under his skin.]
Connor can't sleep. He's waiting for the sun to come up. It's been a while since he's seen that happen. He gathers some wood from the trees in the back yard and lights a fire in the fireplace. Then he checks out his new crib. He finds a pair of leather pants in the upstairs closet. He's worn animal skins plenty of times before, but these are shinier than what he's used to. He puts them up to his waist. They're way too big for him.
CONNOR: Guess a fat guy used to live here. [He's jumpy waiting for the sun to come back. So he heads out, looking for something to kill. After the sun rises, he goes to sleep happy.]
[Afternoon. Buffy's basement. The five Potentials are training. Buffy and Giles are lecturing about Sacred Duties and the Unbearable Profoundness of Slayerness. Dawn sits sullen near the bottom of the stairs. Connor walks down. He's less stealthy than normal because he's carrying a bag over his shoulder that clangs when he moves. Dawn looks up at the new arrival. She's blocking his path down the stairs and he almost steps on her legs.]
CONNOR: [looking down] Sorry.
DAWN: It's okay. Feel free to walk all over me any time you want. [she cringes when she realizes how lame that sounds. When Connor gets to the bottom of the stairs the other girls notice. They stop paying attention to Buffy and Giles, who soon stop talking.]
GILES: So you've come to train? Excellent. [he wants to see what this kid can do]
CONNOR: You know those funny-looking guys you saw me kill last night?
VI: You mean the Bringers?
CONNOR: After you left, I tracked down their hiding place. Killed a few more. 18, I think. Here are their knives. [dumps 36 daggers on the floor right in front of Buffy's feet. As if the little bastard hadn't already done enough to undermine her authority. The Potentials stand wide-eyed and open-mouthed in shock. Giles examines the daggers.]
GILES: [after taking a few deep breaths] These appear to be the genuine article. [He is reminded of when Hannibal's representatives dumped hundreds of gold rings from dead Roman centurions on the floor of the Carthaginian Senate after the Battle of Cannae.] Where did you find them? How did you find them?
CONNOR: [he tracked their scent, but he's too smart to say that] Followed their tracks back to where they started. Some hole in the ground. One exit to the sewers. One small opening out of the earth. I set a fire at the sewer exit so they couldn't escape. Then I went back up. When the smoke made them crawl on out, I bashed their heads one by one. Pretty easy kill. You were actually scared of those guys? [he smirks]
GILES: I had been endeavoring to discovery their hideouts. I assumed they were dispersed throughout the community.
CONNOR: There could be more. I killed, what, 24 last night? How many dozen have you killed?
KENNEDY: All of us put together?
MOLLY: At least one dozen.
RONA: But probably not two dozen.
AMANDA: That means Connor's killed more in one night than Buffy and the rest of us have during the past three months. Not bad. [smiles at him. Buffy's ready to bash the showboating brat's head into the basement concrete walls.]
CONNOR: Glad I could help. Have fun with your "training." [He walks upstairs and leaves.]
GILES: That young man could definitely be of some use. Perhaps you two should patrol together. You could show him the ropes.
BUFFY: Then I could use them to string him up.
GILES: Buffy, please. You have no reason to feel jealous.
BUFFY: Jealous? Because our homicidal helper did a good job of killing humans? I'd like to see how he does against a real demon. Oh wait, I have. Spike beat him up without even trying.
GILES: My point exactly. Then why do you act threatened every time you see him? [Amidst the clamor, Dawn's left. Like anyone noticed she was there to begin with. She runs down the street to catch up with Connor.]
DAWN: Hey wait up. I didn't get your name.
CONNOR: Connor.
DAWN: I'm Dawn.
CONNOR: I like Dawn. It's a lot better than darkness.
DAWN: [looks confused] Okay . . . How do you know Buffy?
CONNOR: Met her last night. Are you one of the girls she trains?
DAWN: [dejectedly] Not anymore. I'm just her sister.
CONNOR: I'm sorry. [laughs] We don't get to choose our families.
DAWN: And you don't know the half of it.
CONNOR: Why doesn't she train you like the others?
DAWN: I'm ordinary. No one chose me.
CONNOR: So?
DAWN: So I take it you're not familiar with the whole Slayer concept.
CONNOR: I'm familiar with slaying. Everyone I know slays. That's why I don't get Buffy. She acts like she's the only one. Maybe she is in this town. There's a word for that. I've heard it before. Now I remember. Big fish in a little pond. That's Buffy. [Cordy once told Connor that's what she had been in Sunnydale. Cordy never mentioned Buffy, so he assumes they didn't hang out. After all, Connor thinks Cordy's prettier and cooler and much more powerful.]
DAWN: What do you have against Buffy?
CONNOR: She doesn't get it. People don't CHOOSE to fight demons, or get CHOSEN to fight evil. Evil's everywhere. Vampires want to suck us dry and make this world a living hell. There is no choice. You fight or you die. You don't tell people who want to fight that they can't make a difference. What are they supposed to do, sit there and wait to be slaughtered?
DAWN: I know what you mean. I used to do that, wait for others to protect me. Then I tried to protect myself. Buffy encouraged me at first. Until the Potentials showed up. Then it was back to sitting and waiting.
CONNOR: You shouldn't let her hold you back. [grins] Go hunting with me tonight. For vampires.
DAWN: Uh. Okay. What time? Where do you want to meet? [she's assuming this is Connor's idea of a date.]
CONNOR: When the moon rises. Behind the noisy place people go at night.
DAWN: See you then. [Dawn goes home happy. Connor's lack of familiarity with clocks and street addresses poses a problem. She assumes he means the Bronze, and checks that night's moonrise time in the the paper. She makes a concerted effort to conceal her newfound giddiness from Buffy and everyone else.]
[Connor walks down Main Street, checking out a town he would call quaint and bucolic if he knew those words. Coming from downtown Los Angeles, he's never seen anything like this before. The buildings are tiny and low. The roads are narrow and not very crowded with cars. It's an alien environment, like a whole different dimension. Then he spots the remnants of the Magic Box. He's seen condemned buildings before. Finally, something familiar. He enters and looks around. It's dark. The windows are boarded up. Anya sees him and is startled.]
CONNOR: Sorry. You live here?
ANYA: No! What do you think I am?
CONNOR: So you're scavenging.
ANYA: For your information, this used to be my store. Before it was destroyed.
CONNOR: I'm sorry. Was it demons?
ANYA: I wish. Demons would have done a lot less damage. I don't want to go into it. Who are you? Why are you here? Are you looting?
CONNOR: I'm Connor. I was just looking around.
ANYA: Are you new in town?
CONNOR: Came here last night.
ANYA: You live with your parents?
CONNOR: My parents are monsters. I'm on my own.
ANYA: You're a runaway. A not-too-bad-looking runaway. Do you need a place to stay?
CONNOR: I have a house.
ANYA: How? Do you have a job?
CONNOR: I fight demons. Protect the helpless.
ANYA: And that pays well? From my experience, I've found it's not very remunerative.
CONNOR: I live off the land.
ANYA: You're resourceful. Self-reliant. And possibly also noble and heroic. A very rare combination. Are you doing anything right now? Would you like to go back to my place?
CONNOR: Cool. Let me help you with those boxes. [carries the stuff to Anya's car]
ANYA: You look even better in the light.
CONNOR: So do you. [Anya smiles]
[Buffy's in the living room with Willow and Xander]
BUFFY: Connor is evil.
WILLOW: Aren't we jumping the gun?
XANDER: Usually I like to meet people before I declare them to be agents of the Forces of Darkness.
BUFFY: Don't you find it suspicious how easily he killed all those Bringers?
WILLOW: So you've confirmed his story?
BUFFY: Giles found the spot and counted the bodies.
XANDER: Bringers are evil. This guy kills them. Isn't that good?
BUFFY: TOO good. The body count's way too high. 24 in a single night.
XANDER: I didn't even know there were that many Bringers in this town.
BUFFY: None of us did. The only way Connor could have known is if we were part of the First. It's an inside job. Connor does us a favor. Gains our trust. Becomes part of our team. Then he finishes off the Potentials.
XANDER: A Trojan Horse.
WILLOW: Don't you mean Fifth Column? No, he would be a Trojan Horse. Spike's a Fifth Column. As am I, hypothetically of course.
BUFFY: Did you see how eager he was to be alone with them? To have them spend the night at his place?
XANDER: Whoa! How old is this guy?
WILLOW: Kennedy's age. Though of course she's the only one who's immune to his charms.
BUFFY: Right now I wish more of the Potentials were lesbians.
XANDER: Which ones? [Xander starts thinking. Willow elbows him in the ribs.] I was joking! That sorta thing doesn't turn me on anymore. I'm gay, remember? At least in theory I am. So is Connor cute? Not that I'm interested.
BUFFY: He is evil. Which means he may actually be interested in you.
WILLOW: We don't know if he's evil. And yes, he's adorable.
BUFFY: I disagree. But the girls seem to find him dreamy. Which only proves my point. He seduces them so he can kill them.
XANDER: For once it's not happening to me.
BUFFY: We've seen this before. A new demon fighter comes to town. Impresses everybody. Makes me look uptight. Moves in on my territory. He's just like Faith. He's Faith with a penis.
XANDER: That just took me to a very bad place. Willow, I need a forgetting spell. Right now. Something to remove that image from my brain forever.
WILLOW: I'm with Xander. As metaphors go, that's disgusting to the point of being evil.
BUFFY: Only if you take it literally.
XANDER: Have you talked about this with Giles?
BUFFY: The metaphor?
XANDER: No!! God no! Whether this guy is evil.
BUFFY: Giles just wants to be his Watcher, make him part of the team.
WILLOW: Which is exactly what we should do. That way you can keep an eye on him. He's corporeal. Spike says he's human. He can fight. Let's use him.
XANDER: He's a teenager. He's new in town. Where's he living?
WILLOW: Remember that mansion on Crawford where Angel used to live?
XANDER: That settles it. I'm getting on board the Connor-is-evil train.
WILLOW: But you haven't even met him.
XANDER: He lives in a House of Evil. That's all I need to know.
BUFFY: Yes. It's creepy. Especially for me. But Angel was good most of the time he lived there.
XANDER: But he moved there when he was evil. As far as we know, only evil people move into that house.
WILLOW: Enough with the transference. He's not Angel.
BUFFY: You can say that again. Angel's a hottie.
WILLOW: Can we give the kid a chance? He fights vampires. He kills Bringers. He wants to help train the Potentials. Sure, he wants to do some other stuff to them. But that just proves he's a teenager. As for his choice of housing, it's vacant, it's spacious, it's available. End of story. It's good to be suspicious. But let's not get paranoid.
XANDER: Maybe that's what the First WANTS you to say.
WILLOW: Oh come on! You think I'm it's agent? You worked for months right on top of the Hellmouth. And don't think it tried to manipulate you? Let's face it, you've been brainwashed by lesser villains.
XANDER: Enough with the Dracula! That was more than two years ago.
BUFFY: Now both of you are acting paranoid. Let's calm down. We'll never defeat Connor unless we work together.
[Anya's apartment]
CONNOR: Nice place. Mine's bigger. But it has a lot less stuff.
ANYA: Thank you. I like my stuff. I worked very hard to accumulate it.
[A tall demon materializes inside Anya's apartment. Connor hits it twice in the face and hurls the demon into the wall.]
ANYA: No! No! Take him outside. Then you won't destroy my stuff. [Connor opens the door, grabs the demon, and tosses him into the hallway.] Thank you. For saving my life. And for defending my property. Hot diggity! Where did you learn those moves? [Connor kicks, punches and throws the demon up and down the hallway. When he's had his fun, he sends the demon face-first to the floor. Connor stomps on the back of the demon's neck with his right foot, severing the neck from the head. The demon's dead body vanishes. Anya runs out and hugs Connor. He smiles.] You are one hot little dynamo.
CONNOR: The demons in this town sure are easy to kill. How did he appear out of nowhere? [they go back inside Anya's place.]
ANYA: He teleported. Probably from another dimension.
CONNOR: Which one. Pylea or Quor Toth?
ANYA: Neither. And Quor Toth? Good God! I would hate to have something from there in my apartment.
CONNOR: You're right. He's not tough enough to be from Quor Toth.
ANYA: You seem pretty familiar with demon dimensions. [Connor thinks he's walked into a trap.]
CONNOR: I've heard stuff from people. [Anya hugs Connor again]
ANYA: You saved my life! How oh how can I ever repay you?
CONNOR: [still hugging Anya] Trust me. You already have.
ANYA: [finally lets go] You are so sweet! How old are you?
CONNOR: They tell me I'm 18.
ANYA: Goodie.
CONNOR: Why goodie?
ANYA: You're an adult. I'm an adult. And as consenting adults, we can do things together. Are you free tonight?
CONNOR: I'll see if I can swing on by.
ANYA: Thank you again for saving my life with your massive, unexplained strength and your astonishingly proficient fighting abilities.
[Buffy's house. 8:15 in the evening.]
DAWN: Buffy I'm going over to Kit's.
BUFFY: Okay.
DAWN: Don't worry. I'll be back by ten.
BUFFY: That's good. [Dawn leaves.]
[outside the Bronze. 8:30]
DAWN: Connor? Connor? [He's on the roof, surveying the vicinity. He leaps down to the ground right in front of Dawn. She's a bit startled.]
CONNOR: Thanks for dropping by.
DAWN: That's funny. Very ironic.
CONNOR: I - what?
DAWN: Never mind.
CONNOR: Ready to fight?
DAWN: [looks around. doesn't see anyone else] You?
CONNOR: Vampires.
DAWN: Oh. Right. Silly, stupid, clumsy me. [he starts walking. she follows.] Which cemetery did you have in mind?
CONNOR: Why would a vampire feed in a cemetery? They like live people.
DAWN: You must be new at this. Vampires rise from the grave. In a graveyard. They rise, we kill them.
CONNOR: Is that what Buffy does?
DAWN: On an almost nightly basis.
CONNOR: There must not be many vampires in Sunnydale.
DAWN: [confused] That all depends on what you mean by many.
[Connor grabs Dawn's left hand in his right hand and takes off. Two blocks up, a woman walking to her parked car is approached by two men. When Connor's a block away, they've reached her. Connor lets go of Dawn so he can get there in time. The taller vampire grabs the woman from behind and covers her mouth. The shorter one leans in to bite her. Connor grabs the shorter one and tosses him to the ground. He punches the taller one in the face. This vampire lets go of the woman, who tumbles to the ground in shock. He blocks Connor's next punch, grabs him, and shoves Connor's head threw the rear side window. Connor kicks him away and stands up. When both vampires charge him, he does a back flip and lands on the car's roof. He kicks the taller vampire twice in the face, leaps over the shorter one's head, and tries to hit him with a reverse kick. The shorter vamp ducks, kicks Connor in the stomach, then throws him to the sidewalk. He charges in rashly. Connor kicks him in the face, slams his head into a light pole, and stakes him. The taller vampire blind sides Connor and punches him. Connor blocks the next punch, lands two of his own, tosses the vamp into the wall, and stakes him. By now the terrified woman has crawled into her car and driven off. Dawn runs but gets there to late.]
DAWN: Sorry I couldn't help.
CONNOR: Maybe you can get the next one.
DAWN: Are you okay?
CONNOR: Sure. Let's go look for more.
DAWN: Your head went through a window.
CONNOR: Is it bleeding?
DAWN: No. Which is odd.
CONNOR: Then what are you worried about?
[11 the next morning. The Potentials are outside training with Kennedy. Buffy's at school. Andrew's baking. Spike is in the basement. Xander and WIllow are cleaning up the living room when Anya enters.]
XANDER: You're just in time for folding laundry.
ANYA: Giles really should spring for a cleaning lady.
WILLOW: You look a little flush.
ANYA: Okay, you forced it out of me. I had sex last night. [Xander drops the vacuum on his foot.]
XANDER: What? Who?
ANYA: He's new in town. Saved my life yesterday. Killed a demon with his bare hands. Really strong, and talk about stamina! Power and beauty in one tight little package.
WILLOW: A demon killer. You don't say. Is his name Connor?
ANYA: You know him!
XANDER: Son of a bitch! I hate this guy already!
WILLOW: We met him the night before last.
ANYA: Then you know what an absolute babe he is.
WILLOW: Do you mean babe as in young?
ANYA: You're one to talk. Connor's Kennedy's age. Sure, he's a novice. I was his second. And third, and forth and, well I lost count after that. His first was also an older woman, though I'm guessing she was frigid, considering how little he learned from her. And believe me, he's a very eager learner.
XANDER: You spend the night with a guy you just met?
ANYA: Does that surprise you?
XANDER: No. Sadly, it doesn't. I guess I wasn't ready for you to move on.
ANYA: You're jealous. I can tell. Just because he's better than you in bed is no reason to be jealous.
XANDER: What!?
ANYA: After all, you were better than Spike.
SPIKE: What!!!? [Spike runs up from basement.] Bollocks! [comes into living room] You have GOT to be bloody kidding.
XANDER: This day is starting to look up.
ANYA: I'm sorry Spike. You just didn't measure up.
WILLOW: And by measure up you mean – ?
ANYA: No. Not that. That would just be inappropriate for me to comment on.
WILLOW: So there's actually a topic even you won't discuss. I had no idea.
ANYA: I just meant Spike didn't satisfy me the way Xander did.
SPIKE: Is this your petty way of getting back at me for turning you down last week when we went out drinking?
ANYA: No. It's just the truth. The truth doesn't make you feel inferior, does it?
XANDER: I've never loved you as much as I do right now. Why didn't I marry you when I had the chance?
ANYA: Get back to me when you find the answer. Now if you'll excuse me, I fear my lusciously lickable new toy boy is getting lonely.
SPIKE: I was very drunk. I wasn't at my best. Give me another chance. [Anya walks to the front door] Oh cum on! [Anya opens door and leaves. Spike flees from the sunlight and walks back into the living room. Xander's smirking.] Say one word, and I put you in the bloody hospital. [he goes back downstairs.]
XANDER: Talk about your silver linings. Did you see Spike's face?
[Anya returns home. Connor's on the couch, eating her food and watching television. She walks up from behind and runs her hand down his chest.]
ANYA: How's my champ? [Connor looks up and smiles. She kisses him.]
CONNOR: I think that was the best night of my life.
ANYA: What about this morning? You didn't like morning sex?
CONNOR: I meant the whole thing. Not like we got much rest. I'm heading home. For sleep.
ANYA: You mean the kind where you're alone and semi-conscious. I might try some of that myself. [Connor gets up]
CONNOR: Can we do this again sometime?
ANYA: How bout tonight?
CONNOR: [thinks this is too good to be true] I'm not dreaming, am I?
ANYA: Oh, that's sweet. You're not. I could pinch you if you want.
CONNOR: Why?
ANYA: Guess you don't know that one. You're a peculiar guy, Connor. But then I'm a peculiar girl. [kisses him. then he leaves. Anya lies on the bed, smiles, and sighs. She'd forgotten how good it felt to be oversexed.]
[Connor's never been a big sleeper. After a two-hour nap, he heads out to explore. Walking past the school, he hears all the chatter inside, and decides to see what's going on. He walks down the halls and sees hundreds of kids his own age. It's very crowded and very loud. He's a little disoriented. Super-hearing only makes it worse. And he keeps bumping into people walking the other way.]
AMANDA: Hey Connor! [he looks around to see who's calling his name] Hey Connor! [he sees Amanda at her locker, and walks over to this familiar face] It's me, Amanda.
CONNOR: I know.
AMANDA: I didn't know you were a student here?
CONNOR: I'm not.
AMANDA: So you're here cause this is the Hellmouth. Evil central. Have you met Principal Wood?
CONNOR: Who?
AMANDA: He run the school. And he's a demon fighter.
CONNOR: Cool.
AMANDA: Yeah. He's pretty cool.
CONNOR: Wanna kill demons?
AMANDA: Now?
CONNOR: Tonight. Sundown. We'll meet here.
AMANDA: Cool. I mean, great! I'd love to go out with you – killing demons, whatever.
CONNOR: Okay. See ya. [walks away]
AMANDA: Yeah. See ya. [smiles. she's psyched about her "date"]
[The hallways empty as the next period begins. Connor walks into the commons. It's empty, except for two jocks in white baseball caps at a table on the opposite side of the room who are dipping snuff and spitting into soda cans. Connor heads to the vending machines. He picks up the food vending machine and shakes it a few times. The two jocks can't quite believe their eyes. Connor puts the machine down and collects his food.]
WOOD: Never seen anyone do that before. [Connor looks at Wood. He's apprehensive, and thinks of fleeing with his junk food.] Are you a new student?
CONNOR: Uh, um, no.
WOOD: Then what are you doing here?
CONNOR: Foraging?
WOOD: [walks over to Connor] Foraging. That's a good one. Relax. I'm not going to turn you in for petty theft. [puts his hand against the sides of the machine] Just making sure that wasn't a trick. Ever seen those strongman competitions on ESPN? They got these guys who lift up things up heavy things like this. Except they're at least five times your size.
CONNOR: [growing suspicious] What do you want from me?
WOOD: I should introduce myself. My name's Robin Wood. I'm the Principal of Sunnydale High School.
CONNOR: Principal Wood. You're a demon fighter.
WOOD: [looks around] Let's continue this conversation back in my office. You can keep your ill-gotten plunder [they head down the hall. Wood doesn't say anything more until they're behind closed doors.]
CONNOR: Amanda said you were a demon fighter.
WOOD: Please, call me Robin. What should I call you?
CONNOR: Connor.
WOOD: Nice to meet you, Connor. So you know Amanda. Then you probably also know Buffy Summers.
CONNOR: I met Buffy. She talks a lot. And she protects a vampire named Spike. Wouldn't help me kill him.
WOOD: [eyes light up] You don't like Spike?
CONNOR: He's a vampire. He deserves to die.
WOOD: You sound like a real go-getter. I like that. Evil's getting pretty powerful in Sunnydale. The good guys need all the help they can get.
CONNOR: This place ain't so bad. I've seen a lot worse.
WOOD: Tough talk for someone so young. How long have you been fighting demons, Connor?
CONNOR: My whole life. Since my father taught me how.
WOOD: So it runs in the family.
CONNOR: [defensively] Not my real dad. My father. The man who raised me.
WOOD: I understand. [puts hand on Connor's shoulder] It was the same way with me. All alone in a scary world. And he took me in, taught me how to survive. Gave me purpose and direction.
CONNOR: [smiles] He must have been a good man. Is he dead?
WOOD: Three years ago. Throat cancer.
CONNOR: I lost mine last year.
WOOD: I'm sorry.
CONNOR: Why sorry? You didn't do it.
WOOD: You're an odd – I mean interesting – young man. I'm eager to find out how interesting. I work out in the gym each morning before school starts. Perhaps tomorrow you could join me.
CONNOR: Work out? Work what out?
WOOD: You know - exercise, training.
CONNOR: Training - with you. Okay.
WOOD: Meet me here early tomorrow.
CONNOR: Sunrise?
WOOD: An early riser. That's good.
CONNOR: I'll train you then. [leaves. Wood looks very puzzled. He walks across the hall to Buffy's office.]
BUFFY: Hi Principal Wood. I mean Robin. Something on your mind?
WOOD: I just met the strangest young man.
BUFFY: Did his name happen to be Connor?
WOOD: Did you get the impression that he's from another planet?
BUFFY: Planet jackass.
WOOD: No, he's a good kid. He just needs guidance.
BUFFY: And you want to do the guiding?
WOOD: If you don't mind.
BUFFY: Mind? I think it's just peachy. Feel free to guide him away from the Potential Slayers while you're at it.
WOOD: So Connor's quite the –
BUFFY: Distraction.
[Connor walks in through the back door. He carries the food he took from the vending machine in his knapsack. He sits down, starts eating a Ho-Ho, and puts his feet up on the kitchen table. Andrew walks in, slams his hand on the table.]
ANDREW: I just washed that, mister. No feet on the table. No feet on the furniture. And God help you if I find you without a coaster. [Connor shrugs and takes his feet off the table.] Thank you. [touches Connor in the shoulder] Just making sure you're not with the First. Who are you?
CONNOR: Connor.
ANDREW: [gasps] You're Connor! You're super-boy! Omigod. Omigod. This is so cool! [Connor looks at Andrew suspiciously. Molly comes into the kitchen.]
MOLLY: Connor!
CONNOR: It's Molly, right? Want something? [dumps his snacks on the table.]
MOLLY: You brought these for me? That is so kind. [takes one of the mini chocolate cakes.]
CONNOR: Who's this?
MOLLY: Andrew. He's our maid.
ANDREW: Excuse me!?
MOLLY: Sorry. Butler.
ANDREW: Thank you. I have my dignity.
MOLLY: We missed you last night.
CONNOR: [in a coldly calculated lie] I missed you too. Where did you hunt?
MOLLY: Hunt? Oh, you mean patrol. In the cemetery.
CONNOR: I hunt where the people are, so I can save them from the vampires. That's why I kill demons. To rescue people. Help the helpless. Try to make the world a better place. [borrowing Angel's lines to impress girls.]
RONA: Connor! When did you get here?
CONNOR: Hey Rona. Help yourself. There's plenty to go round. [at first Rona wonders whether he's talking about himself or the food.]
RONA: Whatchya been up to?
CONNOR: Nothing much. It's been boring without you girls around. [like Cordy said, he's getting good with the words, just like his dad.]
KENNEDY: Break time's over. What the hell is that junk you're eating? [Willow's at college. Xander's at work. Giles is upstairs contacting sources in England for information. Kennedy's training the Potentials outside.]
CONNOR: What's wrong with my food?
KENNEDY: You brought this? Figures. Not exactly the breakfast of champions.
CONNOR: Sometimes it is.
KENNEDY: Back to work. [Molly and Rona groan and go outside. Connor goes on the patio and watches. Vi sees him and nervously smiles. She thinks he's cute, but she also thinks he's scary. Kennedy leads them in synchronized fighting exercises. Connor's mystified. They're not fighting anything. Andrew comes out to quiz Connor.]
ANDREW: So is Connor your first of your last name?
CONNOR: It's my name.
ANDREW: One name. Very cool. Have you always had super powers, or were you once normal and then underwent a sudden metamorphosis?
CONNOR: I don't know what normal is. [he's getting annoyed with Andrew]
ANDREW: Okay, I'm sensing a deep wellspring of alienation. You must have had a very traumatic childhood. [Connor gives Andrew a suspicious look and leaps up onto the roof above the kitchen. Then he climbs onto the second story roof, where he can watch and not be disturbed by the funny-looking curious man. Andrew's jaw drops in shock.] The Force is very strong in that one.
[Connor sits at the top of the roof. He's still a bit tired from the previous night. And watching training which doesn't involve people hitting each other is boring to him. He rolls off the roof and lands in front of the house. He walks inside and heads on down to the basement. Connor lies back on Spike's cot, casually tossing the Bringer knives into the target Buffy set up on the back wall. Spike walks down the stairs.]
SPIKE: If cold steel's all you're tossing, I take it that means I'm safe.
CONNOR: Not in the mood to kill you right now. Too tired.
SPIKE: [laughs] So you think you can? Can't wait to teach you otherwise.
CONNOR: Is that a threat?
SPIKE: [sits down on the cot, next to Connor] It's a joke. You're not much for joking, are you Connor?
CONNOR: [sits up, faces Spike] You're a killer. What's funny about that?
SPIKE: I'm not asking you to laugh about the innocent people I've killed.
CONNOR: I don't see you suffering for those murders.
SPIKE: Would it make you happier if I crawled around on my knees whipping myself and crying out to the Heavens for forgiveness while people poured holy water on my wounds?
CONNOR: It would be a good start.
SPIKE: No, it would be a sodding waste of everyone's time. It wouldn't bring them back. It wouldn't undo to all the suffering I've caused.
CONNOR: When did you get it?
SPIKE: My soul? Last summer.
CONNOR: How long were you evil?
SPIKE: 120 years give-or-take.
CONNOR: How'd you get it? Who gave it to you?
SPIKE: I earned it. Fought for it.
CONNOR: You wanted it? Why?
SPIKE: To fight for justice and truth and humanity. I'm joking. It was for a girl.
CONNOR: Buffy?
SPIKE: Who else?
CONNOR: I could make you a list. Doesn't seem like she's worth the effort. Fighting for a girl, I get that. But Buffy?
SPIKE: I'm not first bloke to risk my life for that girl. I could make you a list if you want. It's a pretty long list. But it's easier to make a list of all the men who are immune to her charms. You'd be the only name on it.
CONNOR: I know, I'm special. Been told that a lot.
SPIKE: You're a snot-nosed kid who thinks he's invincible and refuses to listen to his elders. That's not unique. It's bloody common.
CONNOR: You think you know me?
SPIKE: I know enough. You've been around the block as many times as I have, you realize there's nothing new under the sun. Or the stars, in my case. You're an angry young man. You think the world is simple. Want to lash out and strike down your enemies. Get the girl. Get the girls. Probably prove something to the old man. Bloody common.
CONNOR: You're wrong.
SPIKE: I'm dead on. [picks up one of the knives, tosses it at the target, hits the bull's eye.] You got a lot to learn, kid.
CONNOR: Like how to kill you? [gets up and leaves. Buffy has come home. She's in the back yard training the Potentials. Connor can hear her from the basement. Connor's not big on seeing her. He slips out the front door and heads back to his place. Spike lies down to take a nap.]
SPIKE: Subtlety is not his strong suit. [falls asleep]