Near the end of the school day, Elijah walks into the guidance office.
ELIJAH: Are you Buffy Summers? I'm Elijah.
BUFFY: Elijah! Nice to finally meet you.
ELIJAH: Finally?
BUFFY: Kit mentioned you to me. How long have you two been dating?
ELIJAH: We haven't. We going to – how do you know so much? Isn't this sort of stuff supposed to be private?
BUFFY: I'm sorry. [she looks at his file] You're 16. That's a little young for a senior.
ELIJAH: My birthday's in two weeks. And I skipped a grade.
BUFFY: So you're smart. And look at these grades. Wow. This must be what Willow's report cards looked like.
ELIJAH: Who?
BUFFY: Never mind. I just wanted to tell you that you're not crazy. What you saw was real.
ELIJAH: I get that. But I keep fearing I'm scratching the surface of the tip of the iceberg. Pardon the mixed metaphor cocktail.
BUFFY: You're right. There's a lot of weird and dangerous stuff in this town.
ELIJAH: Like vampires. Kit wasn't joking about that, wasn't she?
BUFFY: Vampires are very real. And they're definitely not a joke. I've been killing them for years. Well, most of them. Otherwise the town would have been overrun a long time ago.
ELIJAH: Does this mean Dracula was a work of non-fiction?
BUFFY: It contains numerous and glaring inaccuracies. The story itself is made up. But Dracula's real. He's not here. Well, he was for a couple days a while back, but he won't be returning anytime soon.
ELIJAH: It's so scary. Not just the vampires. But the willful blindness. People die, and no one does anything about it. Except for you, I guess. Why is that?
BUFFY: I have special powers. It's a long story.
ELIJAH: You're like Connor!? [Buffy scowls]
BUFFY: No. More powerful that Connor. You guys have met?
ELIJAH: I've heard about him. And seen him with Dawn. She's best friends with Kit. Do you know Dawn?
BUFFY: We're sisters.
ELIJAH: Oh. So is that how you know Kit?
BUFFY: Yeah.
ELIJAH: That must be weird for Dawn. Having her older sister on the faculty. Although you don't look that much older. Did you go here? I mean to the school that was here before.
BUFFY: I graduated in '99.
ELIJAH: You were four years ahead of me. That means when you were a senior, I was in eighth grade, and I came over here each day for first period to take Spanish. We were both students here at the same time. That's wild. We probably passed each other on the stairs in the courtyard and never knew it. Did weird stuff happen in that school, too?
BUFFY: Oh yeah.
ELIJAH: Is this a Sunnydale thing? The vampires and the walking dead?
BUFFY: We get more than our share.
ELIJAH: That would explain the depressed property values. Is Sunnydale cursed? You know, a center of bad vibrations?
BUFFY: That an interesting way of putting it.
ELIJAH: Does this mean the old school didn't accidentally blow up on its own? I always knew there was more to that story. I checked it out, and no school has ever accidentally exploded. Ever. Much less during graduation. And that was your graduating class. Talk about "apres moi le deluge."
Elijah laughs. Buffy's confused. She doesn't get his very appropriate historical allusion.
ELIJAH: I don't mean to joke about it. People died. Did any of your friends die?
BUFFY: We were lucky.
ELIJAH: One question. When you're out at night, and you see someone who's pale and wearing outdated fashions, should you assume they're a vampire?
BUFFY: That's actually a very good rule of thumb. I thought you've never seen a vampire?
ELIJAH: Last night, I saw a person at the Bronze who was acting conspicuously suspicious. In hindsight I think he was a vampire. Didn't have fangs or a cape of anything like that. Do there wear capes?
BUFFY: No. That fashion statement's too outdated even for them.
ELIJAH: Interesting talking to you, Buffy. I have a calc test I need to get to. I'll tell Kit thanks for referring me to you.
Elijah walks out. He passes by Connor in the hallway.
ELIJAH: Sorry to bug you, but are you Connor? I saw you with Dawn this morning. I'm Elijah. [puts out his hand. Connor shakes it] Kit's friend. Well, boyfriend. Potential boyfriend.
CONNOR: Hey Elijah. Kit's nice. She cares about Dawn.
ELIJAH: Well, that's what friends are for. Guess I'll be seeing you around. Do you go here?
CONNOR: I am here.
ELIJAH: Fair enough. Are you a student here?
CONNOR: No.
ELIJAH: Then are you like Buffy? [Connor scowls] Are you here to protect people? [Connor smiles]
CONNOR: Yeah. I do that.
ELIJAH: Do you fight vampires?
The hallway's empty, so Elijah's not nervous about sounding nuts.
CONNOR: I hunt and kill them.
ELIJAH: Well then. I really do hope to see you around. Especially if I'm alone in a dark alley. Nice meeting you.
CONNOR: Nice meeting you too.
Connor walks into the guidance office to talk to Buffy. She is not happy to see him.
CONNOR: I'm sorry.
BUFFY: You're sorry you attacked me?
CONNOR: Yeah. I didn't want to hurt you. I just wanted to keep you from getting involved. I thought Robin deserved a chance to kill Spike. But I don't think that anymore.
BUFFY: I guess we all learned something last night. A lot of something. It feels weird, seeing you now that I know who you are.
CONNOR: How do you think I feel? You loved my father. When you were my age! And he loved you. I just wish I could forget that part.
BUFFY: I can see how this would be awkward for you.
CONNOR: That's not why I'm here. Those things are in the past. They should stay there. You're a great fighter. Maybe the greatest. Spike and my dad seem to think so. Remember Saturday? When we killed that big demon? You and me, we made a pretty good team.
BUFFY: We had our moments.
CONNOR: I think we should do that again. Fight together. You've been doing this longer than I have. Maybe you could teach me a thing or two.
Buffy smiles.
BUFFY: I have wanted to teach you a lesson.
CONNOR: How bout tonight? I found a nest by the docks. We hit them early, surprise them, dust em before they know what's happening.
BUFFY: I took down a nest there last summer. Guess a new group's moved in.
CONNOR: I'll be by at 8. I'm leaving for LA any day now, so I wanna learn what I can from you before I go back home.
Connor leaves. Buffy's happy. Connor was actually complimenting her. He has one advantage over Angelus: Connor can look innocent. Buffy thinks Spike was right. Connor really was just confused. Now he was beginning to understand the world, and to respect Buffy.
At the end of the school day, Buffy walks out to the parking lot. She is about to open her car door when she spots Dawn and Connor and Kit and Elijah leaving school together. They're talking and smiling and looking friendly. And then for an instant, Buffy sees Darla, Angelus, Drusilla and Spike. She rubs her eyes. Dawn, Connor, Kit and Elijah reappear. She's certainly wigged, but Buffy assumes this was just a reaction to the shock of learning that Connor is Angel's son. Plus Kit's a tall brunette who likes to wear black and Elijah's skinny and blonde and boyishly handsome.
Buffy comes home and spots six Potentials sitting in front of the television, watching a Britney Spears video. Buffy grabs the remote and turns the television off.
BUFFY: Giles, why aren't they training? Don't they have better things to do than sit around watching this, this mindless blather?
Giles's face lights up.
GILES: Did you just call television mindless blather? I never dreamed this day would come.
Buffy rounds up the rest of the Potentials and along with Giles goes outside and leads them through two more hours of training and teaching. And the end of the workout, the Potentials go shower and wash up while Buffy heads into the kitchen.
BUFFY: Andrew, have you seen Dawn?
ANDREW: No. But then again I've been too busy cooking. Falafel and blintzes and chicken curry and mushi pork. I'm trying my best to make our overseas guests feel at home. Can we get another oven? I don't know how many more times I can pull off dinner for 20 in this kitchen without resorting to the black arts.
BUFFY: I'm glad you found a hobby. A non-evil hobby. [she walks away]
ANDREW: No one appreciates me. Slaving over a hot stove all day. Doesn't she know an army travels on its stomach? Oh goodie. My lamb kabobs are just about ready.
Buffy goes into the small sitting room between the living room and the kitchen. Willow is reading.
BUFFY: Hey Will. What are you reading?
WILLOW: The Hymn of Inanna. You know, Ishtar. Goddess of War and Love. More powerful than any other God. Strength of 120 men.
BUFFY: That's 12 times as strong as me. What did she do?
WILLOW: In this story, she sends the man she loves to Hell because it's the only way she can save her own life. It's complicated. You see, she dies because of something to do with her younger sister, and then a friend of hers who's a witch performs this spell that brings her back to life. But there's complications.
Buffy laughs.
BUFFY: You're pulling my leg, aren't you?
WILLOW: Why would I – oh! I never thought about her that way. Ishtar's not like you at all. She's more of a rogue uber-Slayer. Massacres men just to remind humans how powerful she is. Sexually insatiable. Sleeps with lots of men, but they can never replace the one true love she's lost. So Ishtar's more like Faith. Except for the tragic love part.
BUFFY: When was this written?
WILLOW: About 5000 years ago. By the Sumerians.
BUFFY: Sumerians wrote a lot about Slayers. I've never read any of it, but Giles is always pointing to something and saying "It's in Sumerian." Is Ishtar based on the Slayer?
WILLOW: Interesting theory. She does always takes the form of a young woman. Usually a teenager. But she has no mission, no Watcher, no one who can control her, or even try to teach her. So she's very different. I wonder what Giles would make of your theory.
BUFFY: So how are you doing?
WILLOW: Better. I'm getting good with the meditative healing. I should be back to normal by tomorrow.
BUFFY: No need to hurry. I can't believe Cordy could do that. I mean, I know she WOULD. I just didn't think she had that kind of power.
WILLOW: It's not her. It's something inside her. A demon. I could feel it.
BUFFY: What kind?
WILLOW: It doesn't have form. Kinda beyond our senses. And ancient. Probably even older than Glory.
BUFFY: It's a god?
WILLOW: Before gods. It's something primordial. It has desires and urges but doesn't have a body. Doesn't have an identity. That's why it needs Cordelia. She's its vessel.
BUFFY: And you know all this how – ?
WILLOW: It was inside my body, in the marrow of my bones. But only for an instant. You know how Giles said everything's connected? That's how I unmasked it. On my own, I couldn't tell what it was. But I saw how it connected to the earth, to things inside the earth. The gods trembled.
BUFFY: Cordy scares gods?
WILLOW: The thing inside her does. But I know how to defeat it. Take the demon out of Cordelia. Then it's helpless.
BUFFY: Exorcism?
WILLOW: Something like that. Then Angel's soul will be free and I can give it back to him.
BUFFY: And what about Cordy?
WILLOW: She'll go back to being her old self. No longer evil. Okay, maybe she'll still be a little evil. But not dangerously evil. I just need a few days to prepare.
Giles hangs up the phone.
GILES: Great news everyone! That was Wesley. The sun rose in Los Angeles this morning!
ANYA: Does this mean we go back to being THE epicenter of demon activity in Southern California? We're number one.
ANDREW: Go Hellmouth, it's you're birthday. We're gonna party like it's – ah! The blintzes are getting too crispy.
BUFFY: How does this help us?
GILES: Connor fled after the sun disappeared. Now that it's back, Los Angeles is safe enough for Connor to return. Even better, Wesley believes that Beast demon – the one which had a yen for tossing Connor around like a rag doll – is dead.
BUFFY: Hallelujah. Let's find Connor and drive him back right now.
ANYA: After all, it's not like anything's keeping him here. [Dawn walks in through the back door] My timing is impeccable!
BUFFY: You're home a few hours late from school.
DAWN: I was a Kit's. [Buffy looks dubious]
BUFFY: You were with KIT?
DAWN: And Connor. And Elijah. We were all hanging out over there.
BUFFY: The four of you. [Buffy flashes back to that disturbing vision of another quartet. But she decides that's better than Dawn being alone with Connor.] I met Elijah, by the way. He seems like a good kid.
DAWN: He's great. Really sweet. Got along really well with Connor. [Buffy goes back to the flashback] I know. They're complete opposites. But that's why Connor likes him. And then they started playing Soul Blade on Kit's PlayStation, and Elijah kept beating Connor because, well, Elijah's played a lot more video games than Connor. He was getting so frustrated, cause it's a fighting game and all. Connor's so cute when he's frustrated.
ANYA: Did he try to beat up Elijah? You know, cause he couldn't do it virtually?
DAWN: Of course not! Connor knows the difference between images and reality. [not quite true]
Angelus comes downstairs wearing black slacks and a black long-sleeve v-neck shirt.
ANGELUS: What's going on? Why are they fleeing like this is Saigon and it's 1975? Now more than ever, this is the only safe place for vampires in Los Angeles.
OSCAR: Most of them aren't from Los Angeles. They're going back home. This town has lost its comparative advantage. No need to worry, boss. I fleeced them when they entered. Took all their valuables I could get my hands on. The exodus is not costing you much, even though the majority of the guests have left and we're only at 44% capacity.
CECIL: I see this as a blessing in disguise. Look at it this way, boss. The out-of-towners have already been gouged. Their marginal value is quite low. When they leave, that opens up more rooms for locals, for vampires we have yet to gouge. You're trading low-margin customers for high-margin customers. Like you said boss, this is still the only safe place in town. With the Slayer on the warpath, business should be looking up.
ANGELUS: Good point, Cecil. Tonight I stay in. We all do. How many people do we have stockpiled in the basement?
CECIL: 37.
ANGELUS: We have a feast. Then we dismantle the cages. We only did the hoarding for our patrons. Sure, the party's over. But the fun's just begun. We stay put, Faith hunts other vampires, forcing them into our arms. She and her Slayerettes concentrate our strength. And then tomorrow night we just roll right over her.
Angelus's charisma and vision wins over the traitorous Oscar and Cecil, at least for the time being. They'll wait and see how tomorrow night pans out.
GUNN: Is Connor coming back?
WES: Hopefully. Giles can tell him the good news.
FAITH: I'll just take a guess and say that by now LA is safer than Sunnydale. Add that to the fact that he already hated B, that everyone's probably looking at him funny now that they know he's Angel's, and that nobody wants to hang around a girl who boinked his dad –
FRED: He'll feel even more uncomfortable there than he does here.
LINDSEY: How adorable. You two finishing each other's sentences.
Fred and Faith look at each other and shudder. Gunn and Wes are both simultaneously weirded out and turned on. They enjoy the fantasy of Fred as a badass Slayer.
At 8 pm, Connor comes over to meet Buffy. Dawn is in her bedroom doing homework. Giles tells Connor the news.
CONNOR: Did they see his body? Did they see the Beast's body?
GILES: Actually they have not seen any sign of him for at least a week. Combine that with the fact that the sun has returned –
CONNOR: But Angelus is still around.
GILES: And you can help them contain him.
CONNOR: They don't want me fighting him. They're afraid I'll try to kill him. May be best if I stay away. You said they have a Slayer.
GILES: And you can fight alongside her. You won't have to fight alone.
CONNOR: Is she like Buffy? [Giles chuckles]
GILES: She is, to be honest, the complete opposite of Buffy – in terms of personality and demeanor. [Connor smiles]
CONNOR: I'll think about it. I could go back tomorrow morning. [Buffy smiles]
BUFFY: Sounds good. Now let's go kill some vampires while you're still here. We'll be back soon, Giles.
Connor is wearing the jeans he had on earlier in the day, but took off his nice blue button-down shirt and put on an olive-green t-shirt on top of a gray long-sleeve shirt. They head over to the docks.
BUFFY: How many were there?
CONNOR: Six. Maybe eight. There's only one way out. We can take em easy.
Connor brandishes his broad sword and hands it to Buffy. A brilliant little part of the plan. He gives his victim his most dangerous weapon.
Buffy and Connor break down the doors and rush in. A few lights are strung up, allowing them to see the interior. Only three vampires are inside. Connor corners one and fights him. The two others run for the door. Buffy stands in their way. She beheads one. The other gets behind her. Buffy turns round, tackles him, lands a few punches and stakes him. Buffy realizes Connor made a tactical mistake in not hanging back and helping her block the exit. But she knows he's rash and likes the quick kill. Connor is busy beating on the other vampire in the far corner of the warehouse. "Okay Connor. That's enough. I think she buys it. Ow! That hurt. Ow!" Connor kicks him again and stakes him. Connor returns to Buffy.
CONNOR: Were there any more?
BUFFY: No.
CONNOR: Let's check outside.
He races out the door. Buffy groans and follows. Typical rash Connor. When Buffy get outside, she sees that Connor is surrounded by seven vampires. One of them rushes him, and they start fighting. Another one approaches and punches Connor from behind. He goes down on his knees. Buffy heads to his rescue.
Back at home, Dawn comes downstairs at 8:30. She's planning to tell Buffy she's going to the Bronze with KIt, Elijah and, oh yeah, Connor too. The Kit and Elijah part is a lie.
DAWN: Buffy. Buffy? [goes into the dining room] Where's Buffy?
GILES: She went out patrolling with Connor.
DAWN: What? When did she leave?
GILES: About a half-hour ago. Said they were going to smoke out a nest at the docks. What did you want to tell her?
DAWN: Nothing. It's . . . nothing. Forget it.
Connor said nothing to her about this. Dawn knows Connor does not like Buffy, and she thinks it is highly unlikely that he'd choose to patrol with her – just the two of them. But the docks. They were by the water. The ocean. Dawn knew about what Connor did to Angel. She walks towards the front door and glances around to make sure no one is looking at her. Then she sticks her right hand into the pocket of Xander's coat, pulls out his car keys, and slips out the front door. As usual, no one notices her.
Buffy kicks one vampire to the ground. Then another. A third one punches her. Buffy hits him back, grabs his right arm and throws him to the ground. Two more vampires attack, one from each direction. Buffy leaps in the air and hits both vampires with a scissor kick. Lance swaggers towards her.
LANCE: An auspicious start.
Buffy moves towards him. Zack ambushes her from the left. He lands two right hooks. Lance kicks her in the chin. Buffy goes down.
LANCE: Of course, it's only the ending that matters.
Buffy gets up. Zack tries another right hook. Buffy blocks this and sends Zack backwards with a right jab. Lance lands a left spin kick. Buffy is about to kick him in the face when a vampire nails her in the back. Buffy goes down on her knees. Zack kicks her in the face. It is seven against one. Buffy knows she needs to even the odds. She reaches for her (Connor's) sword, but before she can grab the handle, two vampires pick her up, one grabbing each arm. Lance and Zack step back to watch. The other three vampires stand in front of her.
BUFFY: Don't you vampires ever learn? It's the same escape move EVERY time.
One vampire punches her in the face. Buffy kicks the another one. When the third one tries to kick her, Buffy jumps in the air and does a backflip with a half-twist so she lands with her back to her attackers. She grabs her sword. When she hears them rushing her, Buffy spins round and beheads one vampire as she spins. She chops off another one's neck once she squares up to her attackers.
BUFFY: I admit, that last part was new.
Connor exchanges blows with the two vampires. They force him to back away from Buffy. Neither side is really trying. It's a fix, after all. Then Connor hits one vampire in the face with a right kick. He knocks down the other one with a left roundhouse. The first vampire charges in, and Connor decks him with left and right punches. He hits the second vampire with a left hook. The vampire's body spins round. Connor grabs his head from behind and snaps his neck. The other vampire is aghast. Connor's not playing by the rules. Lance notices this and dispatches another vampire to keep Connor busy.
ZACK: What the hell's going on!?
LANCE: He never promised he wouldn't kill us. He only pledged to let most of us fight Buffy. You guys are so dense. Can't trust a vampire. Can't trust a human. Then why trust a half-breed!? Now get on that Slayer!
Buffy keeps two vampires at bay by swinging her sword. Zack tries to surprise her from behind. Buffy turns and swings for his head. Zack backs up. One of the two vampires that is now behind Buffy tackles her to the ground. She loses her grip on the sword, but quickly throws the vampire off of her. Zack tries to kick her while she's down. Buffy grabs his right foot and flips him on his back. The third vampire grabs Buffy and tosses her in the direction of Lance. She rolls a few times on the ground before getting up. When she returns to her feet, Lance lands to right jabs. Buffy lands a right cross. Lance responds with a right roundhouse which spins Buffy around. She is hit by Zack. Lance comes at Buffy from behind and sweeps her legs out, causing Buffy to fall on her back. She is surrounded by four vampires.
LANCE: This is beginning to get interesting.
None of the vampires approach her. They let Buffy get to her feet. One of them kicks her in the ribs. She elbows another vampire, throws Zack into Lance, punches the vampire who kicked her, and then kicks the other vampire in the face. Lance and Zack charge at Buffy. She faces them, does a backwards hand spring, and kicks both of them in the face. The vampire to her left punches Buffy. She kicks him in the chest. Another vampire rushes her her behind. She reaches back and stakes him. The vampire she has just kicked looks frightened. He glances at Lance and Zack, expecting help. They just stand there. Lance wants this vamp to fight for his life and punish Buffy as much as possible. Buffy and the vampire trade right hooks. The vampire connects with a right kick to Buffy's face. She blocks a right roundhouse, punches then kicks the vampire in the stomach, then kicks him in the head with a right roundhouse. It is obvious Buffy is beginning to tire. The vampire connects with a left cross, but Buffy blocks his right hook, lands two right jabs and stakes him.
LANCE: She finished with the undercard. Now we finish her.
Lance looks to his left and in the distance sees Connor working on the two vampires facing him. He's beating them up but refraining from staking them, just as Lance expected. Zack charges Buffy, leaps in the air, and knocks her ten feet backwards with a flying kick. She falls down next to her sword.
BUFFY: Thank you.
Buffy picks up the weapon, gets to her feet, ducks Zack's right hook, then decapitates him. Lance gets within three feet of Buffy. He smiles.
LANCE: Got anything left for me?
Buffy steps forward and swings for Lance's neck. He takes a step back and avoids the blade. As Buffy pulls the sword back towards her body, Lance kicks it out of her hands and it falls to the ground. He hits her in the face with a left jab. Buffy stays on her feet and backs up.
LANCE: Cold steel's not your style. Don't all Slayers like the feel of hard wood in their hands?
Buffy tries a right hook. Lance steps back and chuckles. He takes a left jab, hits Buffy in the stomach with a right uppercut, then tosses her to his right, away from the sword. She gets up, her back to the warehouse's front wall. Lance slowly approaches.
LANCE: Of course, I've heard you're the only Slayer who likes her wood cold. You know, room temperature.
She hits him with the back of her right hand. He kicks her in the stomach. She kicks him in the face. Lance retreats. When Buffy charges. Lance knocks her down with a left roundhouse kick. Buffy gets up slowly. Lance tries to kick her, but Buffy grabs his foot. He does a backflip to get free. Lance tries a right kick. Buffy blocks it. She blocks a right punch, then hurls Lance behind her and into the wall.
Connor punches one vampire, then kicks the other one to the ground. He leaps on top of that vampire and stakes him. The one remaining vampire grabs Connor from behind. He does a backflip. When the vampire turns around, Connor punches him in the face with a left hook. The vampire has been badly mauled by Connor. He goes down on one knee. Connor smiles and hits him with a right cross. The vampire realizes Connor's in it for the blood lust. He falls on his back, unable to fight on. Connor puts him out of his misery. Then he walks over to Buffy and Lance.
Buffy kicks Lance in the stomach, then in the face. She blocks another punch, pushes him back into the wall and nails him with a right spin kick. Lance laughs.
LANCE: Smart boy.
Buffy stakes him. She doesn't quite realize what he's referring to. Buffy turns around, exhausted. Connor smiles and decks her with a right hook. Finally, she puts it all together as she struggles to her feet.
BUFFY: You set me up. You little bastard!
CONNOR: Are you always this smart?
Buffy tries to kick Connor in the face. He ducks, sweeps her legs out, then kicks her in the ribs when she hits the ground.
CONNOR: Or is this my lucky day.
Buffy gets up. Connor hits her with a left hook. She staggers back but stays on her feet. When Connor charges, she hits him with the back of her left hand, then with her right fist. Connor kicks Buffy in the stomach. She lands a right uppercut to his chin. Connor responds with a right roundhouse kick. Buffy is hurt, but she stays up. When Connor closes with her, he sticks her in the chest with a taser gun. Buffy grimaces in pain, but fails to go down.
CONNOR: You really are a lot stronger than my father. Let's see how much stronger.
Buffy sends a right kick for Connor's face. He tasers her in the right ankle with her foot is an inch from his mouth. Buffy leans over and gasps for breath. She's taken a lot of punishment. She's incredibly tired. And she's been hit with enough juice to knock two normal human beings unconscious. With his right hand, Connor reaches the taser out for Buffy's chest. She grabs it with both hands. Connor also puts the left hand behind the taser. He pushes it into Buffy's chest. As she struggles to push it away, she is hit with five full seconds of high voltage. Buffy collapses to the ground, barely conscious. Connor grabs the sword. He stands over Buffy, holding the weapon with both hands, pointing its tip straight down at Buffy's heard. She looks up at him, unable to defend herself any longer.
CONNOR: Say hello to Heaven.