Carrying on from the previous episode, Buffy and Riley are sitting in Buffy's room ready to talk, although there isn't really much talking going on. Riley decides to go first, but he doesn't want to admit that he works for the Initiative. Buffy tells him, accurately what Riley is, which throws Riley a little bit. He is very impressed by her obvious fighting talents, but when she tells him that she is the Slayer, The Chosen One, he just looks blankly at her. He's doesn't know what one of those are. They are distracted by Amy the rat who gets very distressed all of a sudden.

A sudden shaking rocks Sunnydale and Riley pulls Buffy underneath the wardrobe doorframe. Riley is excited because it was his first earthquake; Buffy however, is distracted, remembering what happened the last time an earthquake rocked Sunnydale and rather skittish.

Xander's room is a little messed up after the earthquake. A couple of the pipes have come loose and are dripping all over the place (in particular Spike's bed) Spike whines that his bed is all wet and Xander gives him a wrench and tells him to fix it then . . . ad whiles he's at it he can start pullling his weight around the place. Xander turns his back to Spike while he rants and Spike takes the chance to try and club Xander over the head with the wrench and is rewarded with a sharp pain in his head. Xander turns around, not realising what Spike tried to do and goes off to work at the Pizza place.

Willow was in the library when the quake hit and has only just got out to make sure that Buffy is alright. She explains that she got buried under a pile of 19th Century Literature. She tells Buffy that one of the dorms has lost their power and to celebrate they're having an aftershock party. (This from the dorm that had a 'day ending in y party' :)) Buffy, still distracted, tells Willow that she'll meet her there, she's going to check in with Giles first.

Buffy finds Giles sitting outside his place with a large map of Sunnydale which is full of pins. He says that judging from the sightings of the commandoes, they must be situated either very near or underneath the UC Sunnydale campus. Buffy tries to distract his attention by complaining that the world is going to end. Giles dismisses her saying that it was just an earthquake, nothing bad is going to happen.

Willow is standing on her own at the party when she notices Percy, the jock she tutored at school (and Evil Willow beat up) she goes over to say hi, but Percy is with a girl who doesn't like Percy talking to Willow. Percy tells his girlfriend that Willow is just a nerd he knew from school which upsets Willow.

Meanwhile, in one of the dorm rooms a lad is making up beer cocktails when some friends go past on their way to naked limbo. He scoops up the drinks and turns around only to face a scary dreadlocked demon. The demon slits his throat.

Willow, upset by the horrible things that Percy said leaves the party and heads off towards the bedrooms to be depressed by herself. She goes into one of the rooms and after checking that there is no one there lies down on one of the beds. However, when the lights come back on she realises that something is next to her. She rolls over and finds a dead body, drained of all its blood next to her. It is the lad who was attacked by the demon.

Xander comes back from work to find the pipes still dripping and tells Spike off. He walks into the room, but can't see the vampire. Spike tells him not to turn around. Xander does and tries not to laugh. Standing before him is Spike, one of the nastiest vamps in the world in bemunda shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. Spike explains that he did the laundry but shrunk all his clothes.

Willow is sitting on the stairs of the party dorm while the lad's body is wheeled past her. Buffy walks in looking for her friend and goes over to her. She tells Willow that she wasn't sure where the party was, then she saw all the flashing lights and the police cars - it was a Buffy party. Willow tells her about the dead body and how Percy was nasty to her.

They go around to Giles (where everyone probably mocks Spike but it unfortunately isn't seen) and Willow tells them about the mutilated body and Percy being horrible, Xander comforts Willow. Willow shows them a drawing of what was carved into the lad's chest. Buffy says it looks familiar but can't place it. Giles takes one look and states that it is the end of the world ("Again!?!") Buffy says that whatever the evil is she's going to stop it and tools herself up with a crossbow and heads off to the cemetery.

She is in the cemetery and spots a mausoleum with the symbol that Willow drew on the side of it. She hears a noise inside and investigates, finding the dreadlocked demon stealing the bones of a child. She surprises it and shoots a bolt into its shoulder, then gets down to the serious business of fighting. The fight is taken out into the cemtery and the demon manages to floor Buffy before running off.

A shadow looms over Buffy and she flips herself upright to face . . . Riley. He asks her how she did the getting up thing but she interupts him and asks where the demon went. He says he didn't chase it because he's got no weapons or back-up. Buffy says that she would have. Riley changes the subject and starts on their relationship, but Buffy says that she thought he was a normal boy, Riley argues that he is. Buffy says that she just wants a normal relationship, she can't go down that path again, all the pain and sadness it caused and leaves Riely standing there.

She goes back to Giles's where a heavy research session is in progress, they've found the demon in question and he needs the blood of a man (check), the bones of a child (check) and the Word of Valios. hoever, they haven't the fainest idea what this is. Giles will keep consulting his books while Buffy goes to the magic shop and Willow and Xander go to the museum.

Spike is fed up and depressed, now he's just a fluffy puppy with bad teeth he gets no fun in life, he's sunk so low there's nothing left. Sh he decides to stake himself. He sets a stake pointy end up on the coffee table and says his goodbyes to Dru and is about to fall on the stake when Xander and Willow walk in, making him miss. Xander, initially angry that Spike is trashing his room realises what he's up to. Spike says he has nothing to live for and asks Willow if he's even a little bit scary. Willow tries to help, but he realy isn't. To make sure he doens't dust himself while they're gone they drag Spike along to save the world. he's a little cheered that if the world does end he'll die anyway.

Giles finds a picture of the Word of Valios in a book, it's really a talisman. With an 'Oh Dear' Giles pulls out a jewellery box and gets the talisman out of it. He's about to leave and find Buffy when the demons turn up and try to get the talisman off him. To his credit Giles does put up a good fight.

When Buffy turns up she finds Xander, Spike and Willow already there patching up Giles, who took a bit of a beating. He tells them that he got the talisman in a house clearence, but thought it was a fake so he forgot about it. He tells them that the demons plan to open the Hellmouth - you know the one under the Library, so off the gang go, back to school.

They come to the school, which is in a depressingly ruined state and carefully make their way down the ruined corridors towards the Library. They find the library, only recognisable by the doors and the smashed bookshelves. Xander comments on the new floorplan while Buffy spots the three demons but not the three sacrifices, which means the ritual isn't over yet. Buffy goes down to distract them and a fight breaks out. Xander and Willow try to get the blood and the bones off the demons but are unsuccessful.

One of the demons plunges down the hole (the entrance of the Hellmouth) revealing the demons to be the sacrifices. Another one of the demons attack Spike and he takes the punches, thinking he is unable to fight back until he has a go anyway and really thumps the demon, he braces himself for the pain, but there isn't any. He can fight and kill demons. Pleased this this he gives the demon a though beating ending with throwing it down the Hellmouth.

Another quake rocks the building and Buffy tells the others to get out. Riley shows up and he helps Buffy with the last demon. They fight, but the demon jumps down the Hellmouth hole. Buffy follows after getting roped to Riley. The rope goes taut and Riley pulls her back up. She clambers out of the hole, with a deathgrip on the last demon. Buffy has saved the world again (Party anyone?)

Once everyone is safe, Riley tries to keep his secret identity secret by saying he was paintballing. Xander and Willow aren't having any of it and say they realise that he's one of the commando's. (The clothes are a dead giveaway). Riley spots Spike and thinks he looks familiar but Spike says (in a terrible American accent) that he's an old friend of Xander's.

The next day, Riley is in his room, halfheartedly throwing balls through the hoop on the back of his door when Buffy pops her head around. Riley is upset that everyone knows about his not-so-secret identity. Buffy tells him not to worry and that everything will work out fine. To prove her point she kisses him.

Willow and Xander are watching TV in the basement when Spike comes over and turns the TV off, he wants to go out and fight demons and save poor innocent puppies and stuff. He tells them to stop being wimpy, they'll get Buffy and go rid the worl of evil. They are (rightly) slightly frightened of his over-excitedness.