'As You Were' Story Code '6ABB15' by Douglas Petrie

Buffy is working a shift at the ‘Doublemeat Palace’; when her co-worker goes on and on about his brilliant future as a college graduate Buffy mentions that she has re-applied to Sunnydale University. On her way home via the cemetery Buffy encounters a vampire, but when the undead creature realises how bad she smells - stinking of the grease of fast food - he refuses to attack her and instead runs away. Buffy promptly throws a stake and dusts him. Outside her house Buffy meets Spike; the vampire has been waiting for her, and she gives in to him. When she finally goes inside, Buffy gives Dawn a free ‘Doublemeat’ burger for her dinner. Later, Willow takes Dawn to ‘The Bronze’, where they meet Xander and Anya, who are arguing over their wedding arrangements. Willow tells Dawn how happy she is now that Tara is talking to her again. At the Summers house, Buffy falls asleep on the sofa; when she wakes up the next morning she receives a letter from the University, telling her that her application has been rejected. Dejected, Buffy goes to work, but when she is asked to go and serve at the counter she is amazed to find that one of her customers is none other than Riley Finn. Wasting no time, he tells Buffy that he is in town tracking something that has come to Sunnydale, and needs her help. Buffy immediately leaps over the counter to join him. As the two of them search the town, Riley tells her that this demon is about to breed, and they need to catch it before it multiplies. They spot the demon, but it is too fast for them; luckily Riley is able to shoot it with a tracking device, and he and Buffy chase it in his jeep. Meanwhile, Xander and Anya are stuck in airport traffic hell while on their way to Sunnydale Airport to collect Xander’s Uncle Rory. Buffy and Riley track the demon to a dam and begin fighting the monster. They are suddenly joined by another soldier, a woman named Sam, who asks Buffy what she is doing with her husband. Buffy is taken aback, but is still able to kill the demon. Unfortunately, Riley failed to brief Buffy properly - they needed the demon alive so that they could track it to its nest. Buffy takes Riley and Sam to her house, where Willow, Dawn and Xander are waiting for them. Riley and Sam explain that the demon had already laid its eggs, and they were hoping to track it to destroy these as well; however, they have heard that a local black market dealer known as ‘the Doctor’ is trying to sell the eggs. When Sam suggests that Willow perform a locating spell, Willow explains that she is no longer using magic. Riley leaves to check with some local contacts while Sam talks to Willow, telling her how much she admires her for giving up magic, as she has seen what can happen to those who become addicted. Buffy and Sam leave together to look for the eggs, and Sam admits she was nervous about meeting her, as it took Riley a long time to get over her. Buffy tells Sam she needs to talk to an informant alone, and so Sam goes off to help her husband, while Buffy heads for Spike’s crypt. She asks the vampire about ‘the Doctor’, but their conversation soon turns to another subject, and it is not long before they are in bed together. They wake up to find Riley standing there, much to Buffy’s horror. Riley accuses Spike of being ‘the Doctor’; Buffy gets dressed and joins in Spike’s protestations that he has made a mistake, but Riley goes downstairs, and, with Buffy following, they find the eggs. At first Spike tries to claim they belong to a friend, but Buffy punches him, telling him to stop playing games. Spike is upset, and accuses Buffy of playing with her own set of rules, but still she hits him, and so he runs out. The eggs begin to hatch because Spike failed to keep them cool; as Riley and Buffy retreat upstairs Buffy grabs a grenade from Riley and throws it down, destroying the babies and most of Spike’s crypt. At Xander and Anya’s apartment, the happy couple hide in the bathroom while their various demon and human relatives and friends argue, but they both realise that no matter how nervous they are about the wedding, the marriage that comes afterwards is more important, and as long as they focus on that, they will be fine. Buffy and Riley talk outside the ‘Magic Box’, ready to say a proper goodbye to each other. When Riley tells Buffy he is authorised to kill ‘The Doctor’ Buffy reveals that she has been sleeping with the vampire, and realises how pathetic she now feels. Riley tells Buffy that she is the first woman he ever loved, and also the strongest woman he has known, and he is sure things will get better. He and Sam leave for their next assignment in Nepal. The following day, Buffy visits Spike in what remains of his crypt, and tells him it is over between them. She knows she has been using Spike, but she has to be strong and finish it. Spike watches her leave, unable to say anything.

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), James Marsters (Spike), Emma Caulfield (Anya), Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn), Marc Blucas (Riley Finn), Ivana Milicevic (Sam), Ryan Raddatz (Todd), Adam Paul (Skanky Vamp), Marilyn Brett (Lady ), Alice Dinnean Vernon (Baby Demon Puppeteer)
Directed by Douglas Petrie

TX (US): 26th February 2002
TX (UK - Sky One): 11th April 2002

Notes:
*Featuring Buffy, Xander, Willow, Anya, Dawn and Riley