Bargaining 2

Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer... Well, she died. And everyone was very sad ('cause they haven't been watching the UPN ads), so they programmed the BuffyBot to pretend she was Buffy, but that only worked for a few months before the circuitry and the obnoxious perkiness gave her away. Giles went home to England, Spike is turning over-protectiveness into an art form, and the Slayerettes are bound and determined to bring Buffy back from the dead. Everyone caught up? Good. Why didn't you read the synopsis of Part I instead of making me do that?

They're in a circle around Buffy's headstone. It's full-on night, they've got the urn, and the candles are lit... No, wait, Anya's having problems with hers. They're racing a midnight deadline when Anya finally succeeds in lighting her candle. The ritual begins, and most of the work seems to fall on Willow, as she pours blood into the urn, and begins a chant to Osiris. She uses the blood to trace funky patterns on her face, as she asks the Egyptian god of rebirth to "Accept our offering. Know our prayer." She suddenly stiffens, her arms flying out, as bleeding gashes appear on her arms. Xander starts to jump towards his friend, but Tara holds him back. "She told me she'd be tested. This is what's supposed to happen." It's quite the gross test, with things moving under Willow's skin like those scarabs in The Mummy, but Willow grits her teeth and keeps going. "Here lies a warrior of the people. Let her cross over!" The thing under her skin moves up her arm towards her head, as Tara warns Xander, "If we break the cycle now, it's over!" And over it all comes a vague rumble... of motorcycles. Ridden by demons. Racing through the center of Sunnydale's downtown (such as it is), with the demons breaking windows, setting fires, and generally reveling in the destructiveness of it all, with no Slayer to stop them.

By contrast, it';s relatively peaceful in the Summers house. Spike is sprawled in an armchair, watching an old black-and-white Western on TV as Dawn sleeps on the couch. But the sound of motorcycles breaks the stillness, waking Dawn. Spike shoves her away from the window and goes to start checking doors. The demons meet their first resistance a few minutes later, in the form of the BuffyBot, who glares and informs a looting demon, "That doesn't belong o you. Put it back." He is predictably unimpressed. The demons converge on the hapless Bot, and take her prisoner with almost no effort. The leader slashes once across her chest, revealing the circuits. Injured, the BuffyBot fights her way free and instantly goes in search of Willow.

Who is done with the choking up of the big snake, and is now in the "lots of red and gold light swarming around her" stage of the spell. She actually seems to be getting somewhere, but that is, of course, when the BuffyBot comes staggering into the clearing, yelling for repair. With a gang of the biker demons right behind her. Everyone heads for cover except Willow, who's a little busy -- until one tire runs over the Urn of Osiris, shattering it. Willow screams and the light fall away from her into the ground, as she falls limply after it. Xander finally manages to break through he circling bikes to grab Willow's unconscious body; the two of them head off in one direction, as Tara and Anya try to take off in another. One demon grabs Anya and starts to ride away; Tara shouts a spell and Anya is knocked free in a flash of blue light. The two girls stagger into the woods together.

Xander finds something resembling shelter and tries to rouse Willow; she passes out again as he tells her it didn't work. And in the grave a little ways away, the red and gold lights that surrounded Willow now surround the desiccated body of Buffy Summers. They sink into her and she begins to reform until, with a painful gasp, Buffy takes her first breath since she... died.

The four Slayerettes somehow rejoin in the woods, but Xander's righteous freak-out is put on hold by the need to get gone. They split up again, Xander with Willow since only he can carry her; he tells the girls to meet them at the Magic Shop, and to call Spike and Dawn. The BuffyBot is already written off -- seriously, she's on the ground being mercilessly pummeled by demons, as few feet from where a completely freaked and newly alive Buffy pounds helplessly at the lid of her coffin. Willow comes around again as Xander carries her; he stops to try to fill her in, then has to stop her from going back to make sure the spell didn't work. "She's counting on us, on me!," Willow protests, still one-track mind girl. "I can't leave her there any more!" Xander finally has to tell her the Urn was broken, and Willow would begin crying if she had the strength. "It was all for nothing. Buffy's gone. She's really gone."

Well, no, she's just really trapped, clawing at the lining of the coffin as Tara and Anya hide from their own branch of the potty-mouth Demon Patrol, who give up eventually and head back for the main streets. Anya freaks groggily about the magic shop getting looted, as Tara leads her deeper into the woods. Meanwhile, Spike is alternately ransacking the Summers house for weapons and yanking Dawn away from the windows. He tells her the demons are road pirates, who raid town and burn them down, hitting places they think are vulnerable. "You can't stay here," he finally concludes; the place is too indefensible. Dawn wisely protests leaving: "We need to wait for the others, we need to wait for Buffy!" Spike stares at her as what she said sinks in. "Bot. The BuffyBot," she amends finally. Spike takes her shoulders. "Look. Dawn. I get that you're scared, but I'm your sitter, so mind me. I'm not going to let those buggers lay so much as a warty digit on you." She finally nods and they head out. As Buffy's hand bursts through the grass over her grave, and she drags herself out into the night air.

Buffy makes her way to her feet, trembling and unsteady, then takes in the sight of her own grave. nothing else is any better; as she makes her way through the fiery ruins of downtown, she squints at the wreckage through a kind of mist, her eyes not quite focusing. A single biker comes through town, and lashes out in passing. Although he doesn't seem to do any damage, Buffy goes with the better pat of valor and faints. Tara and Anya come into the magic shop at a dead run, screaming their SO's names. The store is empty of demons and Slayerettes; Anya is gleeful over the former for a moment, then begins a freak-out over the latter. Tara, clearly close to freaking herself, tries to calm the other woman. "He's with Willow. If something happened, I'd know. And so would you." They embrace, then Tara has a sudden brainstorm. "Maybe they got lost in the woods!" she shouts. "Willow and I always know how to find each other." Anya looks on dubiously as Tara settles herself on a nearby table top and begins to chant. "With yoga?"

They're right, of course; Xander and Willow have been going in circles, following an airplane instead of the North Star. (The Delta shuttle from LaGuardia? No, wait, wrong coast. And wrong show. Moving on...) Willow says she can't walk anymore, she's too tired, and Xander takes the opportunity to nail her down about the risks of the spell she just cast. She gets avoidy on him, then suddenly spots a small, blinking blue light moving towards them from the trees. Xander goes into macho mode to protect her, and the light bops around his head, freaking him out. "Xander, it's not a bug," Willow finally manages to tell him. "It's Tara." She happily begins following the light, as a confused Xander trails behind. "And how long have you known that your girlfriend's Tinkerbell?"

Buffy has no such guide; she seems to be wandering aimlessly. Stopping for a brake against a parked car sets off the alarm, and brings out a resident with a gun. He fires into the air, chasing Buffy off, as Spike and Dawn trace their way through the bushes, trying to avoid the bikers. "It looks like they're just wrecking stuff," Dawn observes, before catching Spike's smile. "What?" she demands. "Nothing," he says hastily, "it just, uh... looks like fun." She gives him the Look that deserves, and he starts thinking about transportation, tossing Dawn a small football helmet lying nearby just before he stands in the middle of the street and clotheslines the biker that ties to run him down. Dawn jumps on the bike behind him and they take off.

Anya and Tara both jump at the frantic knocking on the front door of the Magic Box. "We've already been looted!" Anya yells through the wood. "Try the appliance store down the block, they've got great toasters." It is, of course, Xander and Willow, who stagger inside. Neither of them is happy that Spike and Dawn haven't been heard from. "Maybe they're on their way here," Xander says hopefully. "This place is NORAD and we're at DefCon 1. Okay, I so need male friends," he mutters when all three girls stare blankly at him. Willow is all for going out to fight demon butt; Anya points out the futility of four Slayerettes in varying bad shape against a cavalcade of demons, with no Slayer in sight. "She's not coming back," Willow says grimly, struggling back to her feet. "We failed. So, we're it, gang." As they begin to stagger towards mobilizing, Xander offers: "They can't keep it up forever. Maybe they'll get tired of this place and move on." He says this, of course, just the leader announces his intention to put down roots, buy throw pillows, maybe build a summer home, right here in jolly ol' Sunnydale. As the dazed and fuzzy Buffy watches, the BuffyBot is dragged to a huge bonfire in the middle of the street, her limbs chained to four different motorcycles. The Bot has just enough time to spot herself, standing on the edge of the crowd, before the motorcycles all head off in different directions, with the ensuing ghastly results. If Buffy wasn't traumatized before, that'll do it. She screams, and the demons advance on her. "Another one for the fire, boys. Chain it up."

Buffy takes off running, and manages to escape as the bikers interfere with each other. The Slayerettes, heavily armed, wander down the streets, with Tara trying to reassure Willow that the failure of the spell wasn't her fault. "Maybe it wasn't supposed to... Maybe we were in over our heads, invoking forces that we have no right to. Maybe Fate sent all that destruction down on us to stop us." Behind them, Anya is continuing the 'announcing the engagement' fight -- until something jumps down to the ground in front of them. Buffy slowly raises her head to look at the Slayerettes. Tara and Xander assume she's the Bot and Xander begins cracking wise, but Willow just stares. Then, finally, calls her friend's name. "Buffy?"

She runs and they take off after her, finally finding her huddled in a corner. She doesn't respond to them, and Tara is the first to notice that her hands are bleeding. It's Xander who figures it out, his expression sick. "Oh, no. How could we... So stupid! We brought you back to life, Buffy... but we left her. In her coffin." It sinks in, but the knowledge doesn't help. None of them can reach her (Anya's attempt at an engagement announcement notwithstanding), until Xander tells her, "You're home now." That seems to have an effect; her eyes move to him, then up and past him, as voice growls from behind them, "Yeah. Welcome home, Slayer." It's a demon, natch, and looking for a fight. He and Xander exchange the requisite baiting, and Willow casts a quick spell, which has... almost no effect, unfortunately. Knowing they're on the wrong end of this fight, Xander and Willow try to bluff their way out. "Look, we don't want trouble, you don't want trouble." The demon blinks at Willow. "Of course we want trouble. We're demons. It's really what we're all about." He backhands her across the alley, then sends Xander flying. Some more rather gross threats follow, until the demon asks, "So, who wants to go first?" It's Buffy who walks up to him, uncertain, but strangely focused. He tries the backhand on her, and she stares up at him, her lip bleeding. And when he swings again, she flattens him. "Does this mean we win?" Anya asks hopefully, just before the real fight begins. Buffy may not be in top form, but she still deals the damage.

Spike and Dawn's motorcycle hits the site of the bonfire, where they find the remains of the BuffyBot. "It's the machine, Dawn," Spike reassures her. "I know," she says quietly, but still kneels next to it, only to jump back as its eyes open. "Where did I go?" it asks in confusion. "I was here... here. Then I ran away. Not me. The other Buffy." Dawn's eyes get very big as the BuffyBot 'dies' mid-sentence; then she stands and starts running. She's out of earshot before Spike can turn around and notice that she's gone. Commence vampire panic attack.

In the Alley, Buffy is still holding her own against the demons, the Slayerettes pitching in where they can. Finally, all of the demons are down and they cluster around Buffy happily, assuming she's back She backs away, then dabs gingerly at her bleeding lip, as if surprised at the pain. Then she runs past them and away as they stare after her in worry and confusion.

Which is probably why they don't notice the demon leader waking up until he's on his feet. He attacks Xander as another comes up behind the fleeing Slayer; she takes him down easily, then stops mid-step, her attention caught by... the tower, rising above the skyline The place where she died. She takes off running as the Slayerettes gang up on the leader. He throws them off and Willow manages one spell, casting something icky that covers his face like glue.

The demon gets his hands around Tara's neck, but another spell from Willow knocks him back. He throws Tara away and goes for the other witch, lifting Willow from the ground by her throat. She dangles helplessly until the leader suddenly stiffens and falls forward with a gurgle, an ax buried in his back. Tara stands over his body. "Nobody messes with my girl," she declares as she helps Willow up.

Buffy stands at the end of the catwalk she jumped from months earlier. Scattered memories flash before her eyes as she squeezes them shut, trying to remember. Her sister's voice echoes in her ear... then through the air, as Dawn steps out behind her. "Buffy?" She turns to face Dawn, who is caught between confusion and joy. "Is it you? I mean... really?" But this isn't the best place for reunions, she realizes quickly, as the tower begins to shift beneath their weight. Buffy turns back around to eye the ground consideringly, and Dawn screams, "No! Don't jump, Buffy, just walk to me! Please!" They're both caught on the edge of tears, and Buffy doesn't more. Dawn keeps talking. "I'm your sister. Dawn? We were up here together and then you went away. And you don't want to do that again. I don't know how you're back, but you are. And please, stay still."

The tower bucks and shudders and Dawn amends, "Or move, but towards me! Because the tower was built by crazy people and I don't think it's holding up very well." Dawn keeps yelling, urging Buffy to talk to her, and Buffy finally asks, carefully, "Is this Hell?" Dawn blinks as Buffy turns to her, repeating the question. "No! Buffy, no! You're here, with me. Whatever happened to you, whatever you've been through, it's over now!" She's started to walk towards her sister, but the structure can't take the weight. "We have to get off this tower!" Buffy is still oblivious, fascinated by the pavement, memories beginning to return. She talks quietly to herself, remembering. "You told me I have to be strong, and I've tried. But it's been so hard without you. I'm sorry. I promise I'll do better, I will. If you're with me. Stay with me, please. I need you to live. Live," she repeats throwing Buffy's own last request back at her. "For--"

The words are cut off with Dawn's scream as the first girder falls. As if suddenly aware of the danger, Buffy turns, shouting Dawn's name, and runs back to her little sister. It's too late for the stairs, and Buffy searches frantically for an escape route, finally locating a cable and pulley system. Grabbing Dawn, she leaps for the cable; they ride it halfway down until it stops -- then breaks off. They drop the rest of the way to the ground, landing hard. But this time, they land alive and together.

And have to scramble out of the way as the rest of the tower collapses. In the silence after the destruction, Dawn can finally stop to stare at her sister, huddled in on herself against the wall. "You're really here," she whispers, touching Buffy's cheek, then throwing her arms around her. "You're alive, and you're home." Buffy leans against Dawn, staring out over her shoulder as she repeats, "You're home."


	The Bronze \| home Bargaining 1 \| Bargaining 2 \| After Life \| Flooded \| Life Serial \| All the Way \| Once More, With Feeling \| Tabula Rasa \| Smashed \| Wrecked \| Unaired Pilot Bargaining 2 Bargaining 2 Written by David Fury Directed by David Grossman Perri's Review And the season premiere rolls merrily along, like a gang of demon bikers headed straight for Sunnydale (see how nicely I worked in that segue?) Plot: Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer... Well, she died. And everyone was very sad ('cause they haven't been watching the UPN ads), so they programmed the BuffyBot to pretend she was Buffy, but that only worked for a few months before the circuitry and the obnoxious perkiness gave her away. Giles went home to England, Spike is turning over-protectiveness into an art form, and the Slayerettes are bound and determined to bring Buffy back from the dead. Everyone caught up? Good. Why didn't you read the synopsis of Part I instead of making me do that? They're in a circle around Buffy's headstone. It's full-on night, they've got the urn, and the candles are lit... No, wait, Anya's having problems with hers. They're racing a midnight deadline when Anya finally succeeds in lighting her candle. The ritual begins, and most of the work seems to fall on Willow, as she pours blood into the urn, and begins a chant to Osiris. She uses the blood to trace funky patterns on her face, as she asks the Egyptian god of rebirth to "Accept our offering. Know our prayer." She suddenly stiffens, her arms flying out, as bleeding gashes appear on her arms. Xander starts to jump towards his friend, but Tara holds him back. "She told me she'd be tested. This is what's supposed to happen." It's quite the gross test, with things moving under Willow's skin like those scarabs in The Mummy, but Willow grits her teeth and keeps going. "Here lies a warrior of the people. Let her cross over!" The thing under her skin moves up her arm towards her head, as Tara warns Xander, "If we break the cycle now, it's over!" And over it all comes a vague rumble... of motorcycles. Ridden by demons. Racing through the center of Sunnydale's downtown (such as it is), with the demons breaking windows, setting fires, and generally reveling in the destructiveness of it all, with no Slayer to stop them. (Normally, we'd get opening credits here. I'm sure we will again.) Willow keeps gamely calling on Osiris, under she suddenly falls forward, choking, and a big snake actually comes out of her mouth. "It's a test," Tara keeps repeating, over and over; wow, Osiris is a really strict teacher. By contrast, it';s relatively peaceful in the Summers house. Spike is sprawled in an armchair, watching an old black-and-white Western on TV as Dawn sleeps on the couch. But the sound of motorcycles breaks the stillness, waking Dawn. Spike shoves her away from the window and goes to start checking doors. The demons meet their first resistance a few minutes later, in the form of the BuffyBot, who glares and informs a looting demon, "That doesn't belong o you. Put it back." He is predictably unimpressed. The demons converge on the hapless Bot, and take her prisoner with almost no effort. The leader slashes once across her chest, revealing the circuits. Injured, the BuffyBot fights her way free and instantly goes in search of Willow. Who is done with the choking up of the big snake, and is now in the "lots of red and gold light swarming around her" stage of the spell. She actually seems to be getting somewhere, but that is, of course, when the BuffyBot comes staggering into the clearing, yelling for repair. With a gang of the biker demons right behind her. Everyone heads for cover except Willow, who's a little busy -- until one tire runs over the Urn of Osiris, shattering it. Willow screams and the light fall away from her into the ground, as she falls limply after it. Xander finally manages to break through he circling bikes to grab Willow's unconscious body; the two of them head off in one direction, as Tara and Anya try to take off in another. One demon grabs Anya and starts to ride away; Tara shouts a spell and Anya is knocked free in a flash of blue light. The two girls stagger into the woods together. Xander finds something resembling shelter and tries to rouse Willow; she passes out again as he tells her it didn't work. And in the grave a little ways away, the red and gold lights that surrounded Willow now surround the desiccated body of Buffy Summers. They sink into her and she begins to reform until, with a painful gasp, Buffy takes her first breath since she... died. The four Slayerettes somehow rejoin in the woods, but Xander's righteous freak-out is put on hold by the need to get gone. They split up again, Xander with Willow since only he can carry her; he tells the girls to meet them at the Magic Shop, and to call Spike and Dawn. The BuffyBot is already written off -- seriously, she's on the ground being mercilessly pummeled by demons, as few feet from where a completely freaked and newly alive Buffy pounds helplessly at the lid of her coffin. Willow comes around again as Xander carries her; he stops to try to fill her in, then has to stop her from going back to make sure the spell didn't work. "She's counting on us, on me!," Willow protests, still one-track mind girl. "I can't leave her there any more!" Xander finally has to tell her the Urn was broken, and Willow would begin crying if she had the strength. "It was all for nothing. Buffy's gone. She's really gone." Well, no, she's just really trapped, clawing at the lining of the coffin as Tara and Anya hide from their own branch of the potty-mouth Demon Patrol, who give up eventually and head back for the main streets. Anya freaks groggily about the magic shop getting looted, as Tara leads her deeper into the woods. Meanwhile, Spike is alternately ransacking the Summers house for weapons and yanking Dawn away from the windows. He tells her the demons are road pirates, who raid town and burn them down, hitting places they think are vulnerable. "You can't stay here," he finally concludes; the place is too indefensible. Dawn wisely protests leaving: "We need to wait for the others, we need to wait for Buffy!" Spike stares at her as what she said sinks in. "Bot. The BuffyBot," she amends finally. Spike takes her shoulders. "Look. Dawn. I get that you're scared, but I'm your sitter, so mind me. I'm not going to let those buggers lay so much as a warty digit on you." She finally nods and they head out. As Buffy's hand bursts through the grass over her grave, and she drags herself out into the night air. Buffy makes her way to her feet, trembling and unsteady, then takes in the sight of her own grave. nothing else is any better; as she makes her way through the fiery ruins of downtown, she squints at the wreckage through a kind of mist, her eyes not quite focusing. A single biker comes through town, and lashes out in passing. Although he doesn't seem to do any damage, Buffy goes with the better pat of valor and faints. Tara and Anya come into the magic shop at a dead run, screaming their SO's names. The store is empty of demons and Slayerettes; Anya is gleeful over the former for a moment, then begins a freak-out over the latter. Tara, clearly close to freaking herself, tries to calm the other woman. "He's with Willow. If something happened, I'd know. And so would you." They embrace, then Tara has a sudden brainstorm. "Maybe they got lost in the woods!" she shouts. "Willow and I always know how to find each other." Anya looks on dubiously as Tara settles herself on a nearby table top and begins to chant. "With yoga?" They're right, of course; Xander and Willow have been going in circles, following an airplane instead of the North Star. (The Delta shuttle from LaGuardia? No, wait, wrong coast. And wrong show. Moving on...) Willow says she can't walk anymore, she's too tired, and Xander takes the opportunity to nail her down about the risks of the spell she just cast. She gets avoidy on him, then suddenly spots a small, blinking blue light moving towards them from the trees. Xander goes into macho mode to protect her, and the light bops around his head, freaking him out. "Xander, it's not a bug," Willow finally manages to tell him. "It's Tara." She happily begins following the light, as a confused Xander trails behind. "And how long have you known that your girlfriend's Tinkerbell?" Buffy has no such guide; she seems to be wandering aimlessly. Stopping for a brake against a parked car sets off the alarm, and brings out a resident with a gun. He fires into the air, chasing Buffy off, as Spike and Dawn trace their way through the bushes, trying to avoid the bikers. "It looks like they're just wrecking stuff," Dawn observes, before catching Spike's smile. "What?" she demands. "Nothing," he says hastily, "it just, uh... looks like fun." She gives him the Look that deserves, and he starts thinking about transportation, tossing Dawn a small football helmet lying nearby just before he stands in the middle of the street and clotheslines the biker that ties to run him down. Dawn jumps on the bike behind him and they take off. Anya and Tara both jump at the frantic knocking on the front door of the Magic Box. "We've already been looted!" Anya yells through the wood. "Try the appliance store down the block, they've got great toasters." It is, of course, Xander and Willow, who stagger inside. Neither of them is happy that Spike and Dawn haven't been heard from. "Maybe they're on their way here," Xander says hopefully. "This place is NORAD and we're at DefCon 1. Okay, I so need male friends," he mutters when all three girls stare blankly at him. Willow is all for going out to fight demon butt; Anya points out the futility of four Slayerettes in varying bad shape against a cavalcade of demons, with no Slayer in sight. "She's not coming back," Willow says grimly, struggling back to her feet. "We failed. So, we're it, gang." As they begin to stagger towards mobilizing, Xander offers: "They can't keep it up forever. Maybe they'll get tired of this place and move on." He says this, of course, just the leader announces his intention to put down roots, buy throw pillows, maybe build a summer home, right here in jolly ol' Sunnydale. As the dazed and fuzzy Buffy watches, the BuffyBot is dragged to a huge bonfire in the middle of the street, her limbs chained to four different motorcycles. The Bot has just enough time to spot herself, standing on the edge of the crowd, before the motorcycles all head off in different directions, with the ensuing ghastly results. If Buffy wasn't traumatized before, that'll do it. She screams, and the demons advance on her. "Another one for the fire, boys. Chain it up." Buffy takes off running, and manages to escape as the bikers interfere with each other. The Slayerettes, heavily armed, wander down the streets, with Tara trying to reassure Willow that the failure of the spell wasn't her fault. "Maybe it wasn't supposed to... Maybe we were in over our heads, invoking forces that we have no right to. Maybe Fate sent all that destruction down on us to stop us." Behind them, Anya is continuing the 'announcing the engagement' fight -- until something jumps down to the ground in front of them. Buffy slowly raises her head to look at the Slayerettes. Tara and Xander assume she's the Bot and Xander begins cracking wise, but Willow just stares. Then, finally, calls her friend's name. "Buffy?" She runs and they take off after her, finally finding her huddled in a corner. She doesn't respond to them, and Tara is the first to notice that her hands are bleeding. It's Xander who figures it out, his expression sick. "Oh, no. How could we... So stupid! We brought you back to life, Buffy... but we left her. In her coffin." It sinks in, but the knowledge doesn't help. None of them can reach her (Anya's attempt at an engagement announcement notwithstanding), until Xander tells her, "You're home now." That seems to have an effect; her eyes move to him, then up and past him, as voice growls from behind them, "Yeah. Welcome home, Slayer." It's a demon, natch, and looking for a fight. He and Xander exchange the requisite baiting, and Willow casts a quick spell, which has... almost no effect, unfortunately. Knowing they're on the wrong end of this fight, Xander and Willow try to bluff their way out. "Look, we don't want trouble, you don't want trouble." The demon blinks at Willow. "Of course we want trouble. We're demons. It's really what we're all about." He backhands her across the alley, then sends Xander flying. Some more rather gross threats follow, until the demon asks, "So, who wants to go first?" It's Buffy who walks up to him, uncertain, but strangely focused. He tries the backhand on her, and she stares up at him, her lip bleeding. And when he swings again, she flattens him. "Does this mean we win?" Anya asks hopefully, just before the real fight begins. Buffy may not be in top form, but she still deals the damage. Spike and Dawn's motorcycle hits the site of the bonfire, where they find the remains of the BuffyBot. "It's the machine, Dawn," Spike reassures her. "I know," she says quietly, but still kneels next to it, only to jump back as its eyes open. "Where did I go?" it asks in confusion. "I was here... here. Then I ran away. Not me. The other Buffy." Dawn's eyes get very big as the BuffyBot 'dies' mid-sentence; then she stands and starts running. She's out of earshot before Spike can turn around and notice that she's gone. Commence vampire panic attack. In the Alley, Buffy is still holding her own against the demons, the Slayerettes pitching in where they can. Finally, all of the demons are down and they cluster around Buffy happily, assuming she's back She backs away, then dabs gingerly at her bleeding lip, as if surprised at the pain. Then she runs past them and away as they stare after her in worry and confusion. Which is probably why they don't notice the demon leader waking up until he's on his feet. He attacks Xander as another comes up behind the fleeing Slayer; she takes him down easily, then stops mid-step, her attention caught by... the tower, rising above the skyline The place where she died. She takes off running as the Slayerettes gang up on the leader. He throws them off and Willow manages one spell, casting something icky that covers his face like glue. Dawn comes around the same corner her sister turned a few minutes earlier, and spots the same tower that Buffy is now gazing up at from the base. The demon gets his hands around Tara's neck, but another spell from Willow knocks him back. He throws Tara away and goes for the other witch, lifting Willow from the ground by her throat. She dangles helplessly until the leader suddenly stiffens and falls forward with a gurgle, an ax buried in his back. Tara stands over his body. "Nobody messes with my girl," she declares as she helps Willow up. Buffy stands at the end of the catwalk she jumped from months earlier. Scattered memories flash before her eyes as she squeezes them shut, trying to remember. Her sister's voice echoes in her ear... then through the air, as Dawn steps out behind her. "Buffy?" She turns to face Dawn, who is caught between confusion and joy. "Is it you? I mean... really?" But this isn't the best place for reunions, she realizes quickly, as the tower begins to shift beneath their weight. Buffy turns back around to eye the ground consideringly, and Dawn screams, "No! Don't jump, Buffy, just walk to me! Please!" They're both caught on the edge of tears, and Buffy doesn't more. Dawn keeps talking. "I'm your sister. Dawn? We were up here together and then you went away. And you don't want to do that again. I don't know how you're back, but you are. And please, stay still." The tower bucks and shudders and Dawn amends, "Or move, but towards me! Because the tower was built by crazy people and I don't think it's holding up very well." Dawn keeps yelling, urging Buffy to talk to her, and Buffy finally asks, carefully, "Is this Hell?" Dawn blinks as Buffy turns to her, repeating the question. "No! Buffy, no! You're here, with me. Whatever happened to you, whatever you've been through, it's over now!" She's started to walk towards her sister, but the structure can't take the weight. "We have to get off this tower!" Buffy is still oblivious, fascinated by the pavement, memories beginning to return. She talks quietly to herself, remembering. "You told me I have to be strong, and I've tried. But it's been so hard without you. I'm sorry. I promise I'll do better, I will. If you're with me. Stay with me, please. I need you to live. Live," she repeats throwing Buffy's own last request back at her. "For--" The words are cut off with Dawn's scream as the first girder falls. As if suddenly aware of the danger, Buffy turns, shouting Dawn's name, and runs back to her little sister. It's too late for the stairs, and Buffy searches frantically for an escape route, finally locating a cable and pulley system. Grabbing Dawn, she leaps for the cable; they ride it halfway down until it stops -- then breaks off. They drop the rest of the way to the ground, landing hard. But this time, they land alive and together. And have to scramble out of the way as the rest of the tower collapses. In the silence after the destruction, Dawn can finally stop to stare at her sister, huddled in on herself against the wall. "You're really here," she whispers, touching Buffy's cheek, then throwing her arms around her. "You're alive, and you're home." Buffy leans against Dawn, staring out over her shoulder as she repeats, "You're home."