A police officer yells, "Freeze!" and points a gun
at Buffy. Despite her loud protests, the police clearly believe
that she was somehow responsible for Kendra's death and the rest
of the mayhem at the library. Principal Snyder's less-than-glowing
opinion of her doesn't help to convince them otherwise, and she
is placed under arrest. But as the cop starts to handcuff her
and read her her rights, she lashes out, disabling the cop and
evading a bullet as she runs from the school. Buffy is a fugitive.
Disguised in a black coat
and hat, she arrives at the hospital to check on Willow. Xander
tells her that Willow suffered head trauma, and the longer she's
unconscious the less likely it is that she'll wake up. Then Cordelia
arrives, and from her account of events they realize that Giles
is missing, and must have been taken by the vampires. This is
indeed what happened, as Giles wakes up in the mansion, where
Angel threatens to torture him if he doesn't tell Angel how to
revive Acathla... and even if he does. Meanwhile, the police
tell Buffy's mother about what happened, and ask her to call
them if Buffy turns up. Buffy, in fact, heads to Giles' house.
There she meets the mysterious Whistler, who says he's a demon
sent to balance out good and evil. That means stopping Angel
from reviving Acathla. His cryptic ramblings about "knowing
how to use the other sword" make no sense to Buffy, though,
and she leaves. On her way home, a cop stops her and holds a
gun on her. Suddenly he's knocked unconscious... by Spike!
Despite Buffy's instinctive
violent reaction (she tries to kill him), Spike tells her that
he's there as her ally. He says he really has no interest in
destroying the world, like Angel does, and only really wants
Drusilla back, so he's willing to work with her towards that
end. When he tells her that Angel has Giles at the mansion, Buffy
warily accepts his offer. At the hospital, Xander talks to Willow,
tenderly telling her that she can't die, that he needs her...
and that he loves her. At last her eyelids flutter and she awakens,
mumbling, "Oz?" Oz indeed does show up at that moment,
tenderly kissing Willow's forehead. It seems she'll be okay.
Walking home, Buffy and Spike run into Buffy's mother, who is
frantic with worry, and wondering who the heck Spike is. Buffy
and Spike's improvised excuses seem to be working until a vampire
leaps from the bushes and attacks. Before her mother's eyes,
Buffy dusts the vamp. The truth is out. "Mom," says
Buffy, "I'm a Vampire Slayer."
Buffy fills Willow and Xander
in on what's happened over the phone. Then it's time for her
and Spike to talk. Spike says that all he wants is Dru. If Buffy
lets him and Drusilla leave, they'll never cross paths again,
and Spike will help her finish Angel. Buffy accepts the deal,
but as she prepares to leave her mother intervenes. Joyce thinks
it's insanity and can't understand. She tells Buffy that if she
leaves the house she shouldn't bother coming back. Shooting her
mother a dark look, Buffy reluctantly walks out into the night.
At the hospital, Willow decides to try casting the Gypsy curse
one more time, while at the mansion Giles continues to resist
Angel's brutal tortures and Buffy heads to the library to retrieve
an ornate sword. While there, she runs into Principal Snyder,
who gleefully expels her from school. At the mansion, Dru casts
a spell on Giles, manifesting herself as Jenny Calendar. Taken
in by the illusion, the weakened and delirious Giles reveals
to her that Angel's blood is the key to awakening Acathla. Stopping
by Giles' house, Buffy gets the same information from Whistler,
who tells her that Angel's blood must also be used to close Acathla's
vortex.
As day
breaks, Willow begins the curse ritual, while Angel begins his
own ritual to revive Acathla. Buffy bursts into the mansion with
Xander in tow, and chaos ensues. Xander rescues Giles, and Buffy
faces Angel. Just then, Spike rises from his wheelchair and strikes
Angel across the back repeatedly. Drusilla goes mad, attacking
Spike to stop him from hurting Angel, and while Buffy is distracted
by another vampire, Angel manages to get up and complete the
ritual, pulling the sword from Acathla's petrified body. At the
hospital, the ritual is having some effect, as Willow suddenly
appears to be possessed and starts speaking fluent Romany. Spike
renders Dru gently unconscious, taking her away as Angel
fights Buffy. Back and forth they fight until, suddenly,
Angel staggers, just as the Thessulan Orb at the hospital disappears.
The curse has worked, Angel has his soul back! He asks Buffy
what's going on as she realizes what's happened and kisses him
passionately. But when she pulls away, she sees that Acathla
has reawakened, and the whirlpool that will suck the whole world
into Hell has formed. Tearfully she tells Angel to close his
eyes. Kissing him one last time, she plunges the sword through
him, and both the whirlpool and a wide-eyed Angel disappear as
Buffy bursts into tears. Later that day, Joyce finds a note on
Buffy's bed. As Willow returns to school in a wheelchair, Buffy
gets on a bus and leaves Sunnydale.
