Never Leave Me

Writer: Drew Goddard Director : David Solomon Cast : Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers, Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris, Emma Caulfield as Anya, Michelle Trachtenberg as Dawn Summers, James Marsters as Spike, Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg. Main guest stars : Harris Yulin as Quentin Travers, Tom Lenk as Andrew, Adam Busch as “Warren”, Danny Strong as “Jonathan”. Original broadcast date : November 26, 2002

My one-line description: Andrew visits the butcher. The Council is toast. Spike is shish-kebab.

It’s power cleaning day at the Summers residence. Dawn wonders why they’re keeping Spike here, and Anya adds that they should just stake him, since he’s evil. She asks Xander if he agrees, but he sidesteps the issue, saying he has a house to put back together (he’s busy replacing a window). Anya unhappily comments that they have to be ready for the fact that William the Bloody is back.

In the street, a dark figure in black boots and a long leather duster is walking. No wait, it’s not who you think… it’s Andrew. Warren appears behind him and asks him how he feels, to which Andrew nervously replies that he feels good. However, he complains that Jonathan’s death didn’t “work” and that he has to do all the “wet” work. Warren says it’s necessary, since he can’t take corporeal form – to prove his point, he has Andrew pass his hand through his chest. Andrew is worried and comments that he doesn’t think he can kill anyone again, but Warren morphs into Jonathan, who tells him to stop worrying. Andrew is concerned that Jonathan’s death must have hurt, but Jonathan reassures him – he feels a lot better this way, and anyway, it’s his fault, being short and not having that much blood. He adds that they can work around Andrew’s reluctance to kill.

Back at the Summers house, Buffy is tying Spike to a chair in her bedroom. She apologizes, saying that they can’t take any chances. Unfazed, he tells her she should make the bonds tighter – if he breaks free, someone’s going to die.

In his office, Principal Wood is dealing with two students who seem to have done something to a wall, which now needs to be repainted. He tells them he can either suspend them and put bad marks on their permanent records – or they can repaint the wall. The two unfazed students invite him to suspend them; Wood sighs and admits he was bluffing about the permanent records and the suspension, which involves tiresome paperwork for him… so he’ll just hand them over to the police. And by the way, he adds, he’s not bluffing. The boys decide they want to repaint the wall after all. Suddenly, somebody knocks on the door, and Wood goes to answer. It’s Dawn – she tells him that Buffy is sick and won’t be coming in today. She puts a little too much detail about the vomiting and things coming out at both ends, but Wood says they’ll manage fine without her.

Buffy is at home, on the phone with Quentin Travers. She tells him she needs to find Giles as soon as possible; the Council Leader calmly replies that they haven’t kept track of the man. However, he does promise that they’ll try to find him. He hangs up and looks at a group of Council members seated around a big conference table. “The girl knows nothing”, he announces. “And we need to find Rupert Giles, as soon as possible”.

In Buffy’s bedroom, Spike, still tied to a chair, is shaking with human-blood withdrawal. Buffy comes in and asks him if there’s anything she can do. He replies that she should probably go. She bends down and reaches for something, and meanwhile he turns into his vamp face and roars at her, straining against his bonds. Buffy slowly backs out of the room.

Outside the bedroom, she tells Willow that he’s not doing too well – he’s been feeding on human blood for weeks, after all. Willow wonders if they should kill Anya, and Buffy considers it for the moment – and decides that no, they have to take Spike off human blood. Willow offers to go get some animal blood, which will give her the opportunity to get away from Xander’s “tool talk”.

In the school basement, Andrew is standing over something with a knife in his hand while Warren encourages him to “cut her deep, and cut her quick”. Andrew is worried that “she” will squeal, and we discover that the “she” is a… piglet. After some encouragement, Andrew finally lunges after the pig, and misses. The animal runs away, squealing, with Andrew in chase.. As the pig runs away down the corridor, Warren comments that it’s the worst attempted pig slaughtering he’s seen. Andrew wonders if there’s another way to get blood.

At the butcher shop, Andrew gives his order: 12 pork chops, 2 pounds of sausage, 8 quarts of pig’s blood, 3 steaks, a halibut… and some toothpaste. The butcher reminds him that this is a butcher shop, and they don’t sell toothpaste. He goes off to get the order, and a few moments later, hands Andrew a big paper bag filled with the goodies. Andrew turns to leave… and bumps into Willow. He drops the bag, and the blood packets spill out. Willow looks at him, shocked.

Andrew runs out of the shop, with Willow in chase and yelling “come back here!” She corners him, and he pleads for her not to kill him or torture him. He adds that he didn’t kill Tara, it was Warren and he was aiming for Buffy anyway. Willow angrily tells him he’s not helping. Andrew comments that she got her revenge with Warren, so they’re even. “You think I get some sort of satisfaction from what I did?” asks an outraged Willow. Seeing this, Andrew again pleads for her to let him keep his skin, he’s good now. “Then why do you need lots and lots of blood?” she asks. Thinking a moment, Andrew defiantly says that he’s evil – “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 shall know true suffering. Stand down, she-witch, your defeat is at hand…” Unimpressed, Willow shoves him against the wall and tells him that she is Willow, she is death – “If you dare defy me, i shall call down my fury, wreak fresh vengeance, and make your worst fears come through. OK?”

Willow 1, Andrew 0: she marches him into the Summers house, where Xander, Anya and Dawn look at him, somewhat shocked. Xander asks him what he’s doing back in town; “You’ll get nothing out of me, CARPENTER”, Andrew archly declares. “We’ll see…” Xander comments.

Upstairs (in Dawn’s bedroom, since Buffy’s is taken), Anya strips off Andrew’s leather duster, and he yells for her to be careful – it’s expensive. She just drops it to the floor and steps on it, grinding it. Xander roughly ties him to a chair and asks him what he was doing with all the blood. Andrew invents a story about meeting a beautiful vampire girl, but Anya steps in front of him, tells him this isn’t a game, and then viciously backhands him across the face. A seemingly shocked Anya drags her back and asks if they can step outside and talk.

Meanwhile, in her bedroom, Buffy is holding up a bag of pig’s blood, which Spike is hungrily drinking from.

Xander and Anya walk into Willow’s bedroom and rejoice at how well their act worked. Xander thinks Andrew will start singing anytime now, they just have to let him stew a bit… Buffy enters the room and Anya asks her how she’s doing with her guy. Buffy replies that he’s not talking yet, and asks Xander and Anya how they’re doing with theirs. They confirm that Andrew is about to crack.

Buffy returns to her room and asks Spike if he’s feeling better. He says he is, but he doesn’t remember anything. He tells her that he’s been out of it, losing time a lot and waking up in strange places. She asks when the chip stopped working, to which he replies that he wasn’t aware that it had, until now – things have been wonky for him since he got the soul back. This prompts her to ask how in fact he got it back, and he tells her about the demon about to see, and the trials he endured. He comments it was tough, but he’s found some things are just as worse. She asks what he means, and he admits that he’s come to redefine the terms “pain” and “suffering” since he fell in love with her. An outraged Buffy asks how he can say that, but he comments that since he just killed a bunch of people, being polite isn’t really important anymore. She thinks he’s feeling sorry for himself, but he corrects her – he’s feeling honest with himself. “You used me. You hated yourself, and you took it out on me.” She asks if he figured that out just now, and he replies that having the soul makes him understand the violence inside. “William the Bloody now has insight into violence?” Buffy gently mocks. Spike replies that as evil and wretched as he was back then, he never truly hated himself. Not like he does now.

Xander enters the room where Andrew is being held and gently asks him how his face is. He unties him, and offers him a glass of water. Andrew sniffs the water, wondering if it’s drugged or poisoned, then drinks. He comments that Anya is psycho, and Xander comments that he doesn’t know the half of it – Anya is a vengeance demon. Andrew recalls the time he saw her having sex with Spike, and Xander uncomfortably changes the subject, saying that Anya has killed more people than smallpox. He goes on to tell him about one of her victims, who had hurt her real bad – she stopped his heart, then replaced it with darkness, and forced him to live that way, going to work, seeing his friends, but empty. Xander’s eyes glaze over as the example gets way too personal. Looking at Andrew, he quickly adds that she then tore out the guy’s intestines, rubbed them in his face and took pictures. Andrew now looks very scared, so Xander adds a bit: the girls are looking for someone to blame for all that’s been happening. Andrew protests that he didn’t do anything, but Anya storms in, screaming that he’s a lying son of a bitch. She rushes him and wrestles him to the ground; Xander pulls her off him, but she turns around and punches him hard in the jaw. After silently apologizing to him, she whirls back on Andrew and hurts him some more.

Next door, Buffy hears the hubbub and asks Spike to excuse her for a moment. She enters the other room and casually asks if everything is OK. Anya, sitting on Andrew, replies that everything’s fine, and Buffy exits the room. As she goes to open the door to her own room, she hears Spike talking to someone… and then the same song we heard in “Sleeper”. She enters the room cautiously and asks Spike who he was talking to. The vampire, now acting very aloof, replies that he was just talking to himself. Concerned, she asks how he is. “Fine”, he easily replies. “How are you?”

Next door, Anya had Andrew backed up against the wall, and is threatening more pain. He finally cracks under the pressure and promises to tell them everything.

Spike asks Buffy for more blood, pointing with his head to the dresser. She goes to get it, never letting her eyes off him… until she picks up the blood packet. Spike vamps out, roars and breaks free from the chair. She rushes him, but he knocks her back and charges at the wall, breaking into it.

“We needed more blood to activate the seal of Danthazar”, Andrew is telling Anya and Xander… Suddenly, Spike punches through the wall behind him, grabs him and bites him. Andrew screams and writhes, and finally Buffy manages to throw Spike off him before he does permanent damage. He crashes into a far wall and stays there, looking quite confused and shocked. He sees the morphy version of himself, shaking his head in disappointment… Then Buffy comes over and, with her foot, knocks Spike into unconsciousness. Some time later, the Scoobies sit in the living room, trying to figure out what made Spike change so rapidly. Xander and Anya come downstairs, reporting that what’s-his-name (Andrew) is OK. Buffy comments that Spike was normal until she heard him talking to someone and singing this song she’d heard him singing before in the cellar… Xander points out that it may be a trigger, a post-hypnotic spell used by the Army to activate sleeper agents. He thinks Spike’s ghost may have found a way not only to haunt him, but to control him as well. Buffy agrees – Spike has been seeing stuff since he got his soul back. She asks Dawn and Willow to start researching ghosts or spirits that could do this.

Late at night, Principal Wood leaves his office and walks down the school hallway. Suddenly, he stops in his tracks and looks at the basement door. He opens it and goes downstairs… he walks straight to the room where the Seal is. He sees the hole and Jonathan’s body laid on the Seal. He simply looks at it, his face registering neither surprise nor… anything, actually.

Buffy walks down to her basement, where Spike is chained to the wall. She takes a towel and some water and starts cleaning up the bruise where she hit him. He comes to, and asks if he hurt anybody. “You took a good bite out of Andrew”, she replies. “Who?” he asks. “Tucker’s brother”. He says that he doesn’t remember anything, that he doesn’t know why… “It’s OK”, she says soothingly. “We’ve got it figured out”. She tells him about Xander’s theory; he looks up at her and says that she has to kill him. He adds that she doesn’t know what he’s capable of – the girls he killed, they got off easy. So did she, actually. He describes to her how much blood you can drink from a girl before she’ll die. Buffy says it’s not his fault, he didn’t do it. “There wasn’t anybody else”, he replies. Again, he tells her to kill him before he gets out. She doesn’t want to, and he asks her whether she knows why she doesn’t – it’s not love. “You fought by my side”, she says. He dismisses this, asking her not to rationalize this – the truth is, she needs to hate him, so she can do her job as the Slayer. Buffy angrily tells him that she’s not like that anymore; he doesn’t know her, doesn’t know himself. She saw his penance, saw him fight the monster inside, fight to be a better man. “I believe in you, Spike”.

Just as he looks at her in surprise, the lights go out and the hooded figures crash through the windows, all through the house, attacking the Scoobies everywhere.

In a vacant lot, Principal Wood is stoically digging a hole, with his car headlights providing light. He takes Jonathan’s body and pushes it into the hole.

At the house, Willow fights a robed figure but quickly gets knocked out. Dawn fares a lot better, showing neat battle skills. Buffy comes up from downstairs and fights a third one; a fourth robed figure attacks her from behind, then runs upstairs, with the Slayer in chase.

The robed figure enters the room where Andrew is being held. The figure’s hood is off, revealing a bald head and scars where the eyes used to be. He pulls out two knifes from his belt and advances on the terrified Andrew, who’s tied to the bed. Just as the minion goes to stab, Buffy enters and pushes him off, but soon has to deal with another hooded figure.

Downstairs, Dawn takes a wooden staff and slowly approaches the minion she just crashed into a wall. She gets too close, and he floors her with a foot sweep. He stands over her, preparing to stab her… but is clobbered from behind by Xander with a large steel pipe.

Upstairs, Buffy is still fighting the minion, or whatever he is. She uses Andrew, who has just freed himself, as a shield and a weapon – she rams him into the assailants. Finally, she dispatches them with their own knifes just as Xander arrives. After reassuring her about Dawn being OK, he wonders where is the rest of the attackers. They both think about Spike and run downstairs. When they get to the basement, they find, of course, that Spike is gone…

Willow breaks out the first aid kit as Dawn and Anya huddle on the sofa. Xander comments that these guys were fast and organized. Buffy comments they were after Spike all along. She then notices one of the dead figures and realizes she’s fought them before… To the gang, she announces that she now knows who they’re fighting – The First.

At the Council headquarters in London, Quentin Travers assesses the damage – the place is a mess. An agent informs him they’ve lost contact with operatives all over the world, they’ve been hit hard. Travers reassures them, saying they’re still strong. To the group, he says that the First Evil has declared war on them, but it’s time they struck back. He asks his troops to confirm all remaining operatives – they’re moving out, to the Hellmouth. He quotes the Scriptures – “For by wise counsel, you shall wage your war”.

The Council headquarters explodes in flames and debris.

Spike – or that is, morphy Spike – is looking at his counterpart, who is being tied up spread-eagled on a kind of pentacle. One of the robed figures (the Harbingers, we now know) takes a sharp knife and cuts symbols into Spike’s chest, who writhes and cries with pain. “It’s your fault”, morphy Spike tells him. “You’re the one who couldn’t do your job”. He morphs into Buffy, who adds that she’s glad it turned out this way – she was going to bleed Andrew, but Spike looks better with his shirt off.

The Harbingers crank some machinery and the pentacle – and Spike with it – rises until Spike is suspended face-down over the Seal of Danthazar. Blood begins to drip from his wounds, and morphy Buffy comments that it’s time they brought authority to their presence. “Wanna see what a REAL vampire looks like?” she asks. The Seal of Danthazar activates, opening in the middle, and a grey, ugly, otherworldly figure rises out of the earth. He growls horribly and raises his clawed hands in triumph. Summary by OttsFiveByFive

Special thanks to www.leoffonline.com

Quotes

(B=Buffy, X-Xander, W=Willow, S=Spike, D=Dawn, A=Anya, G=Giles)

A: Shouldn’t we stab him through the chest? Isn’t that what we do when these things happen? W: Look, Buffy knows what she’s doing. A:Well, Xander, you know what we’re all talking about. I mean, you’ve always been part of the “Spike is evil” faction. X: I’ve got a house to put back together. A: Fine. You guys keep your heads buried in the sand, but I think we should prepare ourselves for the possibility that William the Bloody is back.

Warren: Excellent. We’ve got work to do. Andrew: I have to do work right now? Can’t I just walk around for a while in my coat?

Warren: Pretty bitchin’, right? I’m like Obi Wan? Andrew: Or Patrick Swayze.

Jonathon: You know, it wasn’t that bad. It was like a sharp pain, then a burning, then a general queasiness. It’s kinda like when I used to get ulcers in high school, only at the end I became one with light and hope.

D: I just wanted to tell you that Buffy won’t be coming in today. She’s really sick. PW: Oh, no. D: 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 was vomiting again. PW: Yeah, we got that stomach flu going around. D: Her exact words were, “I’ve got stuff coming out of both ends.” PW: Thank you. That’s very helpful.

Quentin Travers: The girl knows nothing. And we need to find Rupert Giles…as soon as possible.

B: He’s been feasting on humans for weeks. He’s having some pretty bad withdrawls. I think we need to get him some blood. W: Do you want me to kill Anya? B: No, we should probably try to wean him off humans. He’ll have to make do with animal blood. W: I’ll go get some. B: You don’t mind? W: 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.

Andrew: Babe 2: Pig in the City was really underrated. Warren: Don’t think about Babe. Andrew: Right. Warren: 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. Andrew: That’ll do, pig! *charges at the pig*

Andrew: I’d like 12 pork chops, 2 pounds of sausage, 8 quarts of pigs blood, 3 steaks, um, halibut, and, uh, some toothpaste… Butcher: This is a butcher’s shop, Neo. We don’t sell toothpaste.

Andrew: 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… W: *pushes him* Shut your mouth. I am a she-witch, a very powerful she-witch, or witch, as is more accurate. I’m not to be trifled with… Andrew: But I… W: 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. OK?

*to Willow* Andrew: Hey, your hair’s not even black anymore.

X: What’re you doing back in town? Andrew: You’ll get nothing out of me, carpenter.

X: Now, we can do this the hard way, if you want. But believe me if I tell you, this will go much easier if you just tell us what you know. Andrew: Ow. You’re barking up the wrong asparagus, man. I don’t know anything.

A: You think this is a game, junior? People are dying. *grabs Andrew* Friends lives are in danger. X: Hey, Anya. A: Now you want to waste time on deceptions? Not on my watch! *smacks Andrew*

A: *giggles* Did you see that? I actually made him cry. X: You were perfect. I was worried I overdid it with the whole “easy way, hard way” thing. A: No, you were great! And I wasn’t sure if I should slap him, but then he made me want to slap him, so I thought, OK, slap him! X: He’ll be singing in no time.

B: How’s your guy? A: The weasel wants to sing. He just needs a tune. X: He’s primed. I’ll be pumping him in no time. *akward beat* He’ll give us information soon.

B: When did your chip stop working? S: I wasn’t aware that it had, you know. Not ’til now. B: And the losing time? How long has that been going on? S: Oh, things have been wonky since I got back, ever since… B: You got your soul.

S: 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. B: Just like that? S: No, not just like that. There was a price. There were trials, torture, pain and suffering… of sorts. B: Of sorts? S: Well, it’s all relative, isn’t it? B: Meaning? S: Meaning I have come to redefine the words pain and suffering since I fell in love with you. B: How can you say that? S: Apparently, I just slaughtered half of Sunnydale, pet. I’m not really worried about being polite anymore. B: So, that’s what this is about. You feeling sorry for yourself, Spike? S: I’m feeling honest with myself. You used me. B: Yes. S: You told me that, of course. I never understood it though. Not until now. You hated yourself, and you took it out on me. B: You figured that out just now? S: Soul’s not all about moonbeams and pennywhistles, luv. It’s about self-loathing. I get it. Had to travel ’round the world, but I understand you now. I understand the violence inside. B: Violence? William the Bloody now has insight into violence? S: 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.

Andrew: That chick’s psycho. X: You don’t know the half of it. She’s a vengeance demon, you know. She’s bad news. Andrew: This one time I saw her having sex with Spike. X: She’s killed more men than smallpox. Andrew: Does smallpox still kill people? X: She’s killed a lot of men. She tortures them. Anyone who incurs her wrath. One time she… No, nevermind. Andrew: What? X: It’s not important. Andrew: What’d she do? X: 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, then she replaced it with darkness, 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. Andrew: Sounds bad. X: Well, then she tore out his intestines and rubbed it in his face and took pictures of it. Andrew: Oh, God.

A: You lying son of a bitch! You’re gonna tell us what we need to know, and you’re gonna tell us right now!

A: Get off me, Harris! *slaps Xander and gives an “I’m sorry” look* Come here, you pipsqueak! *shakes Andrew’s shoulders*

D: How is what’s his name? X: 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.

B: He was talking to someone. I heard through the door, he was having this conversation. And then he started singing. A: Maybe it’s another musical. A much crappier musical.

X: Trigger. A: The horse? X: 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 ’em drastically change at a moment’s notice. W: Is this left over from your days in the Army? X: 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 figured out how to…how to control him?

B: This trigger. How do we holster…safety, or…I don’t know guns. How do we make it stop? X: Well, usually the operative completes his task and either blows his head off or steals a submarine.

S: Did I hurt anybody? B: You took a good bite out of Andrew. S: Who? B: Tucker’s brother. S: Oh.

B: Xander has this theory that you’re being triggered. S: Kill me. B: What? S: Buffy, you have to kill me. B: You don’t understand. When I left the room earlier, I heard you talking to someone… S: Do you have any idea what I’m capable of? B: I was in the cellar with you. I saw what you did. S: I’m not talking about the cellar. The people in the cellar got off easy. I’m talking about me. Buffy, you have never met the real me. B: Believe me, I’m well aware of what you’re capable of. S: 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.

S: You wanna know what I’ve done to girls Dawn’s age? This is me Buffy. You’ve got to kill me before I get out.

S: 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. B: You fought by my side. You’ve saved lives. You’ve helped… S: Don’t do that. Don’t rationalize this into some noble act. We both know the truth of it. You like men who hurt you. B: No. S: You need the pain we cause you. You need the hate. You need it to do your job, to be the slayer. B: 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.

B: You’re not alive because of hate or pain. You’re alive because I saw you change. Because I saw your penance. S: Window dressing. B: Be easier, wouldn’t it, it if 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. S: Buffy… B: And you can be. You are. You may not see it, but I do. I do. I believe in you, Spike.

X: They were so fast. And organized. B: They were after Spike all along. X: And we were just in the way.

B: 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 you guys saw, from beneath us, it’s all the same thing. I know what we’re up against. The First.

Quentin Travers: 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. (paces) Give me confirmations on all remaining operatives. Visuals and tacticals. Highest alert. (stands still) Get them here as soon as possible. Begin preparations for mobilization. Once we’re accounted for, I want to be ready to move. Watcher: Sir? Quention Travers: We’ll be paying a visit to the hell mouth. My friends, these are the times that define us. Proverbs 24:6. “O, by wise council, you shall make your war.”

The First in Spike Form: 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.

The First in Buffy Form: I have to admit, I’m glad it worked out this way. I was going to bleed Andrew, but (sighs) you look a lot better with your shirt off.

The First in Buffy Form: 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, wanna see what a real vampire looks like?

Please credit Hellmouth Central with these quotes when using them for any publication.