Living Conditions Written by: Marti Noxon

Willow meets Harmony as the two catch up. Willow soon discovers that Harmony is a vampire. Oz comes and Harmony runs off saying her boyfriend will be mad they hurt her. They run to tell Buffy. Harmony goes home to her boyfriend Spike. He is busy planning a tunnel when Harmony complains that she's bored. Xander is confronted by Anya who is back and confesses that she can't stop thinking about him. Buffy and Parker are at a party. Buffy encounters Spike and Harmony. The two flee but not before Harmony blurts out that they are after the Gem of Amara. Giles tells Buffy it is a vampire kind of holy grail but doesn't exist. Back at the party Parker and Buffy are talking and they start kissing and go to bed together. Anya goes to see Xander convinced that they must have sex so she can get over him and they do. Next day Parker tells her that he'll call her. Giles discovers that the Gem of Amara may be actually real and in Sunnydale. Spike is getting close to the crypt where the Gem may be. Buffy waits by the phone for days but there is no call from Parker. Spike finally finds the crypt filled with treasure. No longer needing Harmony he stakes her but she instantly heals. Shocked he realizes the Gem is in a ring she put on. Angry she pulls it off and throws it at him. Triumphant he decides to go for a walk in the sun. Buffy spots Parker chatting with another girl and asks him why he didn't call. Parker shrugs it off casually. Parker says that they had fun that night but it wasn't a commitment. Buffy is left crushed when Spike attacks her in broad daylight. The two fight as Spike laughs at her gullibility for men. Buffy stakes him but it heals. Just as Spike as the advantage Buffy manages to pull the ring off. He is forced to run for cover from the sun. The gang inspect the ring. Giles wants to destroy it but Buffy has a better idea. She asks Oz to drop it off in LA for Angel. That night Buffy walks aimlessly around thinking about Parker while Harmony walks crying over Spike and Anya walks around thinking about Xander. 

Wild At Heart Written by: Marti Noxon

Riley and his friends Forrest and Graham are in the cafeteria when Buffy walks in. They all say that she's cute but Riley can't help noticing that she is very peculiar. Meanwhile Spike wakes up in a cell. When he looks around he sees a long hall of identical cells with vampires and demons. The gang deduce that the commandos are human. Buffy hopes to cheer Willow up by taking her to a party that night, meaning Xander and Giles will be on patrol. In class Willow notices that they didn't call out Oz's name. Riley explains that Oz has dropped the class. When Willow tries to convince herself and them that Oz is coming back, Prof. Walsh then makes it clear that Oz is gone. Willow leaves upset and Buffy confronts Prof. Walsh about her heartless behaviour. Later Riley retells Buffy's confrontation to his friends who admit that Buffy has guts. They ask Parker about Buffy and he boasts about his conquest. Angry Riley punches Parker out and storms out. Followed by his friend Riley then realises that he likes Buffy and goes to find her. He asks Willow for help in getting to know Buffy but Willow is still bumming and is not in the mood for love talk. She does tell him that they'll be at the party tonight and that Buffy likes cheese. Meanwhile a blood packet drops into Spike's cell. As he reaches for it another vampire warns him that it is drugged. Once drugged the scientists grab you and perform experiments. Later scientists come in to drag the unconscious Spike. However as soon as he is out Spike escapes, frees the vampire next to him and the two run. They run into a gang of armed commandos. Spike throws the other vampire into the commando's face and escapes just in time. Spike meets back with Harmony. On patrol Xander finds Harmony burning some stuff. She explains that it is Spike's. He came back but soon he was off again bent on revenge against Buffy. The two have a catfight before leaving in truce. At the party Riley blanks on what to say to Buffy and stuffs up. Willow decides to leave which at least give Riley something to say to Buffy. The two start talking but Xander interrupts to tell Buffy about Spike. Riley then meets up with his two friends and they enter some secret elevator underground. As they walk through Riley comments that no one will go out with him. Joe regular by day but ... secret demon hunter by night. They walk out into the a platform overlooking a giant containment area with cells of demons and scientists. Riley goes to meet their boss...Prof. Walsh. Buffy goes out to look for Spike and Xander gives her a flare gun just in case she needs help. Meanwhile Spike bursts into Buffy's room and finds Willow. He turns up her stereo and then attacks Willow, her screams drowned out by the noise. Buffy sits on a bench patrolling. Meanwhile Riley and his commando friends are also looking for Spike. Seeing Buffy he tries to convince her to leave but the Buffy refuses. The two run off when a scream sounds. Willow sits next to Spike as he laments over what happened. He tries to bite her again but an intense pain shocks his head. Suddenly the commandos and Riley burst in shutting down the power to capture Spike. Buffy appears and assumes the commandos are enemies. She shoots the flare and creates a shock. The commandos are forced to retreat. Prof. Walsh is disappointed that Spike escaped but is pleased that their chip worked. Spike is unable to harm or even hit any human. Riley finally gets the courage to chat to Buffy.

Pangs Written by: Jane Espenson

Thanksgiving is soon and Buffy plans a perfect dinner at Giles's. The gang watch as a new Cultural Center is announced. Xander begins to dig on the site along with other workers when he falls through the ground. It seems there is an old Sunnydale mission buried there. Willow expresses her outrage at the celebration of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving isn't turkeys and cheer, it's about the pilgrims oppressing the indigenous people years ago. Buffy is distracted by a feeling of someone watching her. Unknowingly Angel is just outside watching out for Buffy because of a dooming vision that his friend had. Meanwhile Xander has become increasingly ill since his fall. At the same a time a green mist travels from the old mission into the museum where grabs an old Chumash knife and materializes into an Indian. The Indian then kills the Prof. at the museum there. Next day the gang investigate and they notice the body is missing an ear and that the Chumash knife is missing. Giles is stumped as to why a peaceful race would attack the Prof while Buffy manages all the foods needed for their dinner. After Buffy leaves, Giles calls Angel out who comments that Buffy seems alright. Angel refuses to let Buffy know that he is here since it would distract her. Willow spots Angel so he quickly fills her in on his visit here. Spike is starved for blood and begs Harmony for help. Buffy follows a lead to a priest and arrives in time to see the hanged corpse and the Indian cutting the ear off. The two fight but Buffy is reluctant when the Indian announces himself as Hus a vengeance spirit against those who persecuted his people. Buffy creates dinner for the gang while  Willow and Giles argue about what to do over this spirit. Willow is adamant at trying to help the spirit right the wrongs committed to his people while Giles argues that the spirit has killed innocent people. Xander lies on the couch even more ill and the gang deduce that Hus is recreating all the wrongs done to his people. Xander is being inflicted with all the diseases that the people suffered. Curiously there is another knock on the door. Spike rushes forward begging for food in exchange for commando information. Buffy reluctantly lets him in then ties him up. Xander, Anya and  Willow go to warn the Dean who was also at the opening site like the other two victims. However they are wrong and bump into Angel who tells them that Hus is targeting all the leaders, including Buffy. Dinner is almost ready when Giles's apartment is attacked by arrows. Hus seems to have summoned some friends. Buffy tries to talk things out but soon face off with Hus. Meanwhile the gang fight against the other spirits but they cannot be killed, until Buffy discovers that they can be killed by their own weapons. Hus transforms into a bear and is killed by Buffy using the Chumash knife. The gang continue with dinner and Buffy comments on how the old gang is back together for thanksgiving. Xander replies 'Especially with Angel being here.' 

Willow is still blue over Oz. Meanwhile Giles and Buffy can't get anything useful out of Spike and tie him up in the bathtub. Buffy teases him with the blood. Willow suggests a truth spell. Willow stops by Oz's place and finds that all his stuff is gone. Willow's blues seem to have a effect on everyone. At the Bronze the gang find Willow being surprisingly cheery dancing but soon find that she's been drinking. That night Willow tries to a will spell to will that her pain be gone. Next morning it seems to have failed. Giles comes to see if Willow has done the truth spell and gets down on her because she hasn't. Willow is upset saying that none of the gang understands her pain. Giles tries to say that he sees her point but Willow interrupts saying he doesn't see anything at all. At that point Willow's eyes glow and Giles becomes distracted. On the way out he bumps straight into a person without seeing them. In his loss of sight Spike escapes and Buffy calls off her girls night plans with Willow. Upset Willow vents about it to Xander saying that if Buffy cares so much about Spike why don't' they just get married. At that point Giles walks into his lounge where Spike is proposing to Buffy. Xander tries sooth Willow but she goes off again saying that Xander's love life is doomed as well and that he is a 'demon magnet'. Buffy goes out and meets Riley who hears about Buffy's new engagement. Freaked out Riley rushes off. Giles is soon completely blind while Xander and Anya are attacked by various demons. When they arrive at Giles's place and see Spike and Buffy all lovey-dovey Xander puts together everything. They realize that Willow's spell must have caused all this. Meanwhile Willow enters her room where the demon D'Hoffryn transports her to another dimension. The gang arrive to late but Anya recognises D'Hoffryn's work. She explains that D'Hoffryn was the one who turned her into a demon years ago. While walking through the cemetery the gang are attacked again and take hiding in a crypt while Anya tries to summon D'Hoffryn. Meanwhile D'Hoffryn offers Willow a job as a vengeance demon and shows her the result of her spell. Horrified she refuses the offer. Disappointed he hands her a talisman in case she changes her mind. The demons break into the crypt and the gang try to fight it off. In the fight Spike and Buffy start kissing madly. Willow arrives and undoes her spell. Buffy and Spike jump apart disgusted. The next day Willow bakes cookies to make up for what she did while Buffy still can't get over the fact she kissed Spike. Buffy convinces Riley that the 'engagement' was simply a joke.

Buffy dreams in class about a creepy rhyme by a girl about the Gentlemen. She tells Giles. Meanwhile, Xander and Anya are arguing because she thinks he doesn't really care about her. Giles gets Spike to stay with Xander since his girlfriend is visiting. Willow is disappointed that her Wicca uni group is no more than a bunch of wannabes. She notices a quiet girl called Tara. Buffy complains to Willow that she hates lying to Riley about being the Slayer and that they haven't kissed yet. That night, Spike is tied up in Xander's basement. Giles's girlfriend arrives and they sleep together. At the same time, a group of horrifying Gentlemen hide out in the clock tower. They open a box and all around Sunnydale, a white mist escapes everyone's mouth and is trapped in the box. Buffy wakes up and finds she has no voice. Everyone soon discovers that all their voices have gone. The town is in chaos and diagnosed with laryngitis. The Initiative is affected as well and tries to help maintain order. That night, the Gentlemen with their minions, strait jacket demons, go into random people's homes. The victims are unable to scream as the minions hold them down and the Gentlemen carve out their hearts. Giles' girlfriend sees a Gentlemen and sketches it. Giles recognises it from a fairy tale book and gathers the gang together. Using overheads sheets, he tells them that the Gentlemen have stolen everyone's voices so they can't scream. They need 7 hearts. They cannot be killed by swords but by a real human voice. Xander sees Anya asleep and Spike in vampire mode. He assumes the worst and pounds Spike until Anya wakes up and realizes that he really does care for her. Buffy patrols that night and encounters Riley. They both kiss before departing. Tara from the wicca group goes to find Willow but encounters the Gentlemen. She runs and bumps into Willow. Meanwhile, Riley finds the Gentlemen hideout and goes in, fighting the minions. Buffy fights a few outside and then crashes into the clock tower. Both are fighting when they turn to each other, weapons in hand, and are shocked. However they quickly back in battle against the minions. Elsewhere, Willow and Tara stumble into the laundry room but are too weak to push a vending machine to block the door. Tara sees Willow trying to move it with her mind and joins hands. Together they use magic to vault the machine there easily. Buffy is held down by the minions and Riley helps. She recognises the voice box from her dream and signals him to smash it. He smashes it after the second time and all the voices are released. Back with her own voice, Buffy screams out. The Gentlemen shake and try to cover their ears but it's too late and they explode. The next day, Willow talks to Tara and they hit it off finding that they both practice actual magic. Giles' girlfriend is shocked by the existence of demons and seems shaken. Buffy and Riley meet agreeing to talk. But they have nothing to say.

Buffy and Riley reveal to each other who they are. Surprisingly Riley has never heard of a Slayer and Buffy confirms that Riley is part of the Initiative.  An earthquake occurs. Buffy avoids telling anyone about Riley being in the Initiative. Meanwhile, Spike and Xander are obviously not getting along as roommates. Willow goes to a party alone and catches up with Percy. Later she overhears him calling her a nerd and is upset. A partier is fixing drinks when attacked by a demon that slashes him throat. Willow goes into the room and finds the dead body. Elsewhere, Xander returns home to find that Spike wearing a Hawaiian shirt. The gang meet up to research the demon, Vahrall, and find that they tend to end the world with the bones of a child, a man's blood and the Word of Valios. Willow remembers a symbol carved on the corpse. Buffy recognises it on a mausoleum and finds the demon with the bones of a child. It runs off and Buffy is about to go after it when Riley appears. He reports in and seems happy that Buffy and him have so much in common. However Buffy thinks that they're relationship is doomed, just like her last one. She brushes him off and leaves. Riley returns to brief him team about the demon. Buffy goes to track it while Giles researches the Word of Valios. Willow and Xander go to his basement and is shocked to find Spike trying to stake himself, disgusted at what a pathetic vampire he is. Willow and Xander take him along to stop him from killing himself. Buffy runs into Riley and they argue until Riley gives up and leaves her be. Giles recognises the Word of Valios as a trinket in his junk box just as three demons rush in. The gang return to learn that the demons need 3 sacrifices to open the Hellmouth. The gang plus Spike go to what's left of Sunnydale High. They find the demons but no sacrifices. They start fighting when one demon leaps into the cavern and they realize that the demons are the sacrifices. Spike is shocked to learn that he can hurt demons without any pain. In his glory he throws a demon in the cavern. The place crumbles and the gang are forced to leave. Buffy stays behind with the last demon and Riley appears to help. The demon leaps in the cavern. Buffy jumps in with Riley's rope to grab the demon in mid air and haul it back out, averting the Apocalypse. Riley meets the gang and fails to cover up why he was there and they guess that he is in the Initiative. Next day, Riley is upset that his cover was blown until Buffy comes and greets him with a kiss. Xander and Willow are being couch potatoes when Spike comes up, riled up and pleading to kill something.

Buffy gets a surprise Birthday party at the dorm. Giles is surprised at all the new friends and people Buffy knows. He also meets Riley. However, he starts to feel left out and jealous of Prof. Walsh, Buffy's new mentor. Next day, Spike moves out of Xander's basement into his own crypt. Giles discovers a prophecy of a dark prince demon rising at sunset. Meanwhile, Buffy and Riley are sparring. Giles tries to find Buffy but meets Prof. Walsh who comments on Buffy's lack of father figure. Giles and her have a disagreement on how Buffy should be brought up. Later, Giles, Willow and Xander arrive at the prince demon's rising spot. Willow and Xander suggest that Riley and the commandos may have taken care of it already. Giles is confused and even more shocked and hurt when he realizes that no one has told him about finding out who the Initiative and Riley was. Willow and Xander leave followed by Giles when Ethan Rayne emerges and starts to gloat. Giles turns back, hearing the noise and catches Ethan. The two are downing drinks while Giles complains about Buffy and her new life. Ethan lets him in on rumors of an evil called 314. Willow and Tara do a spell that suddenly gets out of control. Next day, Willow tells Buffy about Giles feeling left out and the spell going wrong caused by disruption of some dark magic. Meanwhile, Giles wakes up and is shocked when he looks in the mirror and finds he has turned into a horned demon with incredible strength, accidentally breaking everything he touches. Realizing this is Ethan's work, he rushes to Xander for help, but finds that Xander can't understand him. Meanwhile, the gang discovers Giles' ruined apartment and suspect that the Fyarl demon has eaten or taken Giles and the dark energy felt by Willow was probably used by someone to control the demon. They learn it can only be killed by silver. Buffy grabs a silver letter opener and she and Riley go to the magic shop for clues. Meanwhile, Giles runs into Spike, who speaks Fyarl. Spike agrees to help if he is paid. They trace back to the bar he and Ethan went last night and find a card Ethan left the waitress for her to give him a call. Spike and Giles drive to the address on the card. Meanwhile, Giles starts to think and act demon like. Seeing Prof. Walsh he scares her for fun. However, the Initiative are on their trail. Giles rolls out of the car while Spike leads them away and loses them. Meanwhile, Buffy finds a docket at the shop from Ethan. Riley uses his contacts to locate exactly where Ethan is staying. Giles finds Ethan and thrashes him until Buffy comes and fights Giles, unaware of who he is. She demands to know where Giles is and stabs him with the letter opener. At that moment she recognizes Giles' eyes, but fortunately the knife wasn't real silver. Ethan undoes the spell and is taken away by the Initiative. Next day, Buffy apologizes to Giles for leaving him out of the loop. Giles warns her about 314 and about finding more about the Initiative's agenda.

'Faith' is taken away by the police and then abducted by the Watcher's Council. 'Buffy' checks out her new body and tries to imitate Buffy. 'Buffy' orders some plane tickets out of Sunnydale then goes to see the gang. She hears that 'Faith' is being taken to England. She then tells the gang to relax and that tonight she will patrol. That night 'Buffy' is partying at the Bronze where she meets Spike. She teases him but tells him that she won't do anything because it's wrong. 'Faith' tries to convince her captors that Faith has her body. Willow introduces Tara to 'Buffy'. 'Buffy' figures out that Tara and Willow are a couple and she teases Tara. 'Buffy' goes out to save a girl from a vampire and is surprised when the girl thanks her. Willow suggests that 'Buffy' go visit Riley. 'Faith' escapes from her captors. 'Buffy' seduces Riley who thinks he is making love to Buffy. Tara tells Willow that she thinks that Buffy is possessed so they do a spell to find out. 'Buffy' wakes up in the middle of the night confused and upset at her identity. Next morning 'Buffy' leaves just as Forrest calls her a killer. 'Faith' arrives at Giles's and convinces him that she really is Buffy by spilling secrets about him that only Buffy would know. Willow pops in to say that she knows as well and has a reversal amulet for the spell. 'Buffy' is ready to catch the plane when she hears of vampires holding up a church. Confused at her own identity she decides to do something that Buffy would do and goes to save the people. There she fights against the vampires saying that they can't kill the people because it's wrong. 'Faith' arrives and confronts 'Buffy'. The two fight and 'Buffy' starts bashing  'Faith' screaming that she is a disgusting killer and murderer. 'Faith' swaps their bodies again. Faith gets up and runs away shocked now that she sees how others see her and disgusted with herself. Buffy is with Riley and tells him that Faith is gone. Riley reveals that he slept with Faith whom he thought was her but Buffy is still upset. Faith meanwhile is hitching a ride on the back of a truck away from Sunnydale.