"Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer:" "Spike!" " Why didn't your chip go off?" "We were at the Initiative..." "There was a choice." "Right." "Either repair the chip, or to remove it." " You removed the chip?" "Yeah." "Spike has a soul now." "That's what's gonna stop him from hurting people." " Buffy..." " He can be a good man, Giles." "I feel it." " How do you know about slayers?" " My mother was one." "She was killed when I was four." "Um, something got her... a demon...?" " A vampire." "So, how do you two know each other?" "He works with me." "Uh, you know, in the struggle against evil." " He's a vampire." " Nice coat." "Where'd you get it?" "New York." "Well, all right." "Got the moves, don't you?" "I'm gonna ride you hard before I put you away, luv." " You sure about that?" "You actually look a little wet and limp to me." "And I ain't your "luv."" "I spent a long time trying to track you down." "Don't want the dance to end so soon, do you, Nikki?" "The music's just starting, isn't it?" "By the way..." "love the coat." "Mamma!" "You did a good job, baby boy." "You stayed down just like mamma told you." " Can we go home now?" " Uh-uh." "It's not safe there anymore." "How 'bout I leave you over at Crowley's house, and you can play with those spooky doodads that you like." " No, I wanna stay with you." "Yeah, I know you do, baby." "But remember, Robin, honey what we talked about." "Always got to work the mission." "Look at me." "You know I love you, but I got a job to do." "The mission is what matters...right?" "That's my boy." "Come on." "Robin?" "Spike!" "Little tip, mate." "Stake's your friend." "Don't be afraid to use it." "What?" "Just waiting for my moment." "~ LIES MY PARENTS TOLD ME ~ season 7 ep.17" "Situation still normal." "Well, or as normal as this school ever sees." "So it appears." "Well, no fires, no one's head's going kablooey." "And the swing choir and the marching band have gone back to their normal, healthy seething resentment." "Yeah, it's been pretty quiet around here since you shut down that seal." "You just may have stopped this thing, Buffy." " No, it can't be that easy." " You call that easy?" " Hey, any apocalypse I avert without dying?" "Yeah, those are the easy ones." "You know, you're, uh..." "You're something else, Miss Summers." "You know, I've been watching you when you're out patrolling, and you, um..." "You remind me of my, um..." " Your mother?" " Yeah." "Yeah, what I remember of her, anyway." "Got to tell you, not a line every girl likes to hear, but... in this case... compliment taken." "Maybe you're right." "Maybe everything is fine." "Everything's terrible." "Total catastrophe." " Giles, what's wrong?" " Have you seen the new library?" "There's nothing but computers." "There's not a book to be seen." "I..." "I don't know where to begin, Buffy." "I mean, who do we speak to?" "Uh, that would...that would be me." "Hi." "I'm Robin Wood." "Oh, sorry." "Rupert Giles." "Sorry." "Buffy tells me you're something of a freelance demon fighter." "Oh, yes, yes." "I, um, I'm relieved." "We're running dangerously low on allies." " So, we didn't stop it, then?" "Uh, no, the seers at the coven are certain the First is continuing to gather its forces." "I'm afraid war is inevitable." "So, we should go before the school board." "What?" "Well, I can have my backup library sent from home in the mean time." "It's not much, but..." " Giles." " Knowledge comes from crafted bindings and pages, Buffy, not ones and zeros." " So, did you bring back any potentials?" "Um, no." "Actually, m-my, uh, my trip is about something else...regarding Spike." " Spike?" "What about him?" "I told you my concerns when you recklessly chose to remove the chip from his head." " Wait, sorry, chip?" " Uh, it's a long story." " The military put a chip in Spike's head so he couldn't hurt anyone." " And that would be the abridged version." " But he wouldn't hurt anyone anymore because he has a soul now." " Unless the First triggers him again." " Triggers the chip?" " No, the trigger's a post-hypnotic thing." "The First put it in his head." "It was...made him..." "He was killing again." " So, he has a trigger, a soul, and a chip?" " Not anymore." "It was killing him, Giles." " The trigger?" " No, the chip." "The trigger's not active anymore." "Because the military gave him a soul?" "Sorry." "We don't know that the trigger is inactive." "What I brought back may help us to disarm it, to ascertain exactly what it is that causes Spike's behavior." " It was that song, Giles." "I'm telling you, it was that song that Spike was singing." " He has no memory of it." "Is there any part of it that you can remember?" "It wasn't like it had a catchy hook or anything like "I'm coming up, so you better get this party started." It was boring, old, and English." "Just like you...ull." "Yule Brenner." "A British Yule Brenner." "This thing you brought to keep Spike from killing again..." "How's it work?" " Well, it will require a bit of magic." "No, we couldn't have put these chains back up a week ago." "Nah, we gotta work on Spike now, of all times." " What?" "Nothing." "What are you doing here?" "You came to see the show?" " I thought you might need support." "Uh-huh." "Right, let's get this over with." "What're you gonna do?" "Some hypno-beam?" "A disarming spell?" "Not exactly." "The First has brainwashed you." "There's something in your subconscious that it's using to provoke a violent reaction." "So... we have to put this in your brain." "The Prokaryote stone will move within your mind to reveal the root of the trigger's power." "Can unleash ideas, images, memories..." "Hopefully, once you understand what it is that's... setting you off, you can break its hold on you." " Hopefully?" "So, it might not work?" " The stone's just a catalyst for the process." "The rest is up to Spike." " And how do expect to get that hunk of rubble into my cranium?" "Willow?" "OK." "I just hope my pronunciation is in the ballpark." ""Kun'ati belek sup'sion." "Bok'vata im kele'beshus." "Ek'vota mor'osh boota'ke."" "Oh, you have got to be joking?" "What now?" " It has to access the cerebral cortex via the optic nerve." " Oh." "With all the rubbish people keep sticking in my head, it's a wonder that there's room for my brain." "I don't think it takes up that much space, do you?" " Ow." "Oh, ow!" "Spike!" "Spike, listen to me." " Yeah." " Are you all right?" " How am I supposed to know if this bug-ugly's doing its job..." " Yet her smell, it doth linger, painting pictures in my mind." " Her eyes, balls of honey." "Angel's harps her laugh." " Oh, lark." "Grant a sign if crook'd be Cupid's shaft." " Hark, the lark, her name it hath spake." " "Cecily" it discharges from twixt its wee beak." "Oh, William..." " It's just...scribbling." " Nonsense." "It's magnificent." "I wonder, though." "This Cecily of whom you write so often..." "Oh." " Would that be the Underwood's eldest girl?" "Uh, no, uh, no." "I do not presume." " She's lovely." "You shouldn't be alone." "You need a woman in your life." "I have a woman in my life." "But you ne..." "Oh..." "Well, do not mistake me." "I still have hopes that one day there will be an addition to this household, but I will always look after you, mother." "This, I promise." " Should I send the coach for Doctor Gull?" "I'll be all right." "It's passed." "Just sit with me a while, will you?" " Of course." "# Early one morning, just as the sun was shining, #" "# I heard a maid sing in the valley below. #" "# Oh, don't deceive me." "Oh, never leave me. #" "# How could you use a poor maiden so?" "#" " Dawn!" "I am calm." "This stone of yours is...is out, right?" "Did its job, so I'm de-triggered, right?" " Spike, what do you remember about the song?" "Oh, yeah, the song." "It's called, uh, "Early One Morning." Old folk ditty." " What's it mean to you?" "Mean?" "Nothing." "It's just, uh, my mum." "It was her favorite." "She used to sing it to me... when I was a baby." " And...?" " No "and." That's it." "Look, shouldn't you check on Dawnie?" "I clocked the niblet pretty fierce." " She'll be OK." "She's tough." " Ow!" "I'm sorry." "Doesn't look like anything's broken?" " Did you use some sort of a magic x-ray?" "No, that's just what people usually say." " So, Spike's trigger's been active this entire time?" " How can Buffy take this for granted?" "I mean, he lives in our house, we train with him." "Don't waste your time down that road." "Spike's got some sort of "Get Out of Jail Free" card that doesn't apply to the rest of us." "I mean, he could slaughter a hundred frat boys, and..." "Forgiveness makes us human. blah-dee-blah-blah-blah." "Uh, Willow...call for you from L.A. Somebody named Fred." "The guy sounds kind of effeminate." " Spike, listen to me." "What is it about your mother?" " I don't know." "I got along fine with her." "She was a nice lady." " Well there has to be more than that." "Well, there bloody well isn't!" " What are you doing?" " I'm going to unchain him." " Buffy, just..." "This is pointless, Giles." "He doesn't know anything." "Your prophylactic stone didn't work." "Because he's not cooperating." "This process takes time." "He's blocking whatever's flooding his consciousness." "And what he does...he's endangering us all." " So, the trigger's still working?" "Much as ever." " Ooh, such a pretty house you have, sweet William." "It smells of daffodils...and viscera." "Don't get too attached, now." "Won't be here for long, luv." "Well then... should we give it a proper goodbye?" "You're a saucy one, aren't you?" "Dru...we'll bring this world to its knees." " It's ripe and ready, my darling, waiting for us to devour its fruit." " We'll ravage this city together, my pet." "Lay waste to all of Europe." "The three of us will teach those snobs and elitists with their falderal just what..." " Three?" "You, me, and mother." "We'll open up their veins and bathe in their blood as they scream our names across..." "What?" " You...you want to bring your mum wif us?" " Well, yeah." "You'll like her." "To eat, you mean?" " William?" "Uh, mother." " Where have you been?" "I've been beside myself for days." " You needn't have worried, mother." "You'll never have to worry about anything again." "Something has happened." "I've changed." " I..." "I don't..." "Who's this woman?" " I'm the other that gave birth to your son." " I beg your pardon?" "It's true, mother." "Drusilla...she...she has made me what I am." "I am no longer bound to this mortal coil." "I have become a creature of the night." "A vampire." " Are you drunk?" "A little bit." "Think of it." "No more sickness." "No more dying." "You'll never age another day." "Let me do this for you." " What are you talking about, a-and why are you acting so strangely?" "It's all right, mother." "It's only me." "We'll be together forever." " William..." "It only hurts for a moment." " Buffy?" "Hey, I, uh, just got a phone call." "I'm gonna have to take off for a while." "Maybe a day or two?" " What's wrong?" " Nothing you need to worry about." "I'll give you the full scoop later." "Maybe I'll even bring back some good news?" " Could use a little of that." "OK." "I guess now is as good a time as we're likely to see for a while." "Just hurry back." "Will do." " Think about what you're doing." "I have." " Buffy..." "Don't." " Mr. Giles..." "You got a moment?" " What's on your mind?" "The same thing that's on yours." "We got ourselves a problem." "Spike." " Yeah, if that trigger's still working, then the First must be waiting for just the right time to use it against us." " It does seem doubtful the First simply forgot it had such a powerful weapon." " Yeah, a while back, it slipped up." "It told Andrew it wasn't time yet for Spike." "So, whatever the First's ultimate plan is, it's obvious that Spike must play an integral part in that." "Something needs to be done." "Buffy would never allow it." " Buffy would listen to her Watcher, wouldn't she?" " I don't think you have much of an idea of the Watcher-Slayer dynamic." " As a matter of fact, I was raised by a Watcher." " You were?" " Bernard Crowley." "Took me in when I was a young kid, trained me." "Crowley." "I remember the name." "New York based watcher." "Resigned shortly after his slayer was..." "You're Nikki Wood's son." "Yes." " Spike killed your mother." "Yes." "Does Buffy know this?" " She knows my mother was a slayer." "She...doesn't know about Spike." "And this has nothing to do with personal vengeance?" " Does it matter?" "He's an instrument of evil." "Now he's gonna prove to be our undoing in this fight," "Buffy's undoing, and she will never...never see it coming." "Now, I'm talking about what needs to be done... for the greater good, Giles." "And you know I'm right." "What exactly do you propose?" " I just need you to keep Buffy away for a few hours." " I don't know, Giles." "Is this really a primo time for a training session?" " I'm still your teacher, Buffy." "As adept as you are as a slayer, there are always new things to learn." "Now, more than ever, it's crucial to maintain focus on your calling." " In case you haven't noticed, our plates are kinda full right now." "Plus, I'm not really sure how I feel about leaving Spike at Robin's house to watch over him." " For what its worth everyone at your house seemed... quite relieved at the arrangement." "Um, Buffy, uh...while I'm not technically your Watcher anymore, the fact that your life is such chaos only underscores the importance of the lessons I can impart to you." " Fine." "Impart away." " We're on the verge of war." "It's time you looked at the big picture." " Hello!" "All I do is look at the big picture." "The other day, I gave an inspirational speech to the telephone repair man." " It takes more than rousing speeches to lead, Buffy." "If you're going to be a general, you need to be able to make difficult decisions regardless of cost." "Have you seen me with those girls?" "I mean, the way I've treated my friends and my family and..." "Andrew." "Believe me, I know how to make hard decisions." "Well, that's what we're here to find out." "While we work on the basics." " You live in the garage?" "This is just a work room." "Kind of my, uh, sanctuary." " A little place to unwind, eh?" " A hard day's prinipaling got you down, you need a place to cut loose, let your hair down...so to speak." "What the bloody hell is this?" "Well, I told you." "It's my, um, sanctuary." "It's the hell mouth, Spike." "You can never be too careful." "Just, um, stay away from the walls, and you'll be all right." "It's a bit much, isn't it?" "What's your story, Wood?" " No story, really." "Just trying to do what's right." "Make a difference." "How 'bout you?" "What kind of man are you, Spike?" " Sorry." "Not much for self reflection." "Yeah, makes sense." "See, you strike me as the kind of guy who just careens through life, completely oblivious to the damage he's doing to everyone around him." " That right?" "Oh, I know more about you than you think, Spike." "See, I've been searching for you for a very, very long time." "Ever since you killed my mother." " I've killed a lot of people's mothers." "Yeah." "You'd remember mine." "She was a slayer." " So, that's it, innit?" "Brought me here to kill me?" "No, I don't wanna kill you, Spike." "I wanna kill the monster who took my mother away from me." "# Early one morning, just as the sun was rising #" "# I hear a young maid sing in the valley below. #" "# Oh, don't deceive me." "Oh, never leave me. #" "# How could you use a poor maiden so?" "#" " There he is." "Mother?" "Hello, William." " Look at you." " Mm, yes." "All better." "You're glowing." "Am I?" "Well, I suppose I have you to thank for that, don't I?" "How ever will I repay you?" " Seeing you like this is payment enough." "Oh, William, you're so... tender." " Well, this is as it should be, mother." "You and I together." "All of London laid out before us." "Ah, yes." "Us." "First, we'll feast." "Then the night is yours." "Theater, perhaps." "Dancing?" "Tell me, what's your pleasure?" "Pleasure?" "To take my leave of you, of course." ""The lark hath spake from twixt its wee beak?"" "You honestly thought I could bear an eternity listening to that twaddle?" " That's right, dog." "Fight back." "I feel extraordinary." "It's as though I've been given new eyes." "I see everything." "Understand... everything." "Mother..." " I hate to be cruel..." "No, I don't." "I used to hate to be cruel in life." "Now, I find it rather freeing." "Nothing less will pry your greedy little fingers off my apron strings, will it?" " I could have spared myself a lifetime of tedium and just..." " Dashed your brains out when I first saw you." "God, I prayed you'd find a woman to release me, but you scarcely showed an interest." "Who could compare to your doddering housebound mum?" "A captive audience for your witless prattle." " Whatever I was, that's not who I am anymore." "Darling, it's who you'll always be." "A limp... sentimental fool." "It hurts, don't it?" "Is this what it felt like..." " Don't kill him yet." " What?" "Why not?" "Because I'm asking you not to." "Would you let this vampire live if he began saving the world?" "Sure." "Seems like a nice enough guy." " Thanks." " No problem." " My name's Richard." " Hi, Rich." "Giles, we had this conversation when I told you that I wouldn't sacrifice Dawn to stop Glory from destroying the world." "Ah, yes, but things are different, aren't they?" "After what you've been through, faced with the same choice now," "you'd let her die." " If I had to...to save the world." "Yes." "Can I kill this guy yet?" "No." "So, you really do understand the difficult decisions you'll have to make?" "That anyone of us is expendable in this war?" " Have you heard my speeches?" " That we cannot allow any threat that would jeopardize our chances at winning?" " Yes, I get it." " And yet there is Spike." "Animal like you." "Never cared for anyone but yourself." "No one else mattered." "Just all about the hunt." "Yeah." "You want to run, don't you?" "Scamper off and cry to your new little trollop." "No!" "Get out." "Get out!" "There, there, precious." "It will only hurt for a moment." " I'm sorry." " What?" " I'm sorry." "Sorry?" "You think sorry's gonna make everything right?" "I wasn't talking to you." "She was a slayer." "I was a vampire." "That's the way the game is played." " Game?" " She knew what she was signing up for." "Well, I didn't sign up for it." " Well, that's the rub, innit?" "You didn't sign up for it" "You took my childhood." "You took her away." "She was all I had." "She was my world." " And you weren't hers." " Shut up." "You didn't know her." "I know slayers." "No matter how many people they've got around them, they fight alone." "Life of the chosen one." "The rest of us be damned." "Your mother was no different." "No, she loved me." "But not enough to quit, though, was it?" "Not enough to walk away... for you." "I'll tell you a story about a mother and son." "See, like you, I loved my mother." "So much so I turned her into a vampire... so we could be together forever." "She said some nasty bits to me after I did that." "Been weighing on me for quite some time." "But you helped me figure something out." "You see, unlike you, I had a mother who loved me back." "When I sired her, I set loose a demon, and it tore into me, but it was the demon talking, not her." "I realize that now." "My mother loved me with all her heart." "I was her world." "That's a nice little song you got there." "Thanks, doc." "You cured me after all." "I got my own free will, now." "I'm not under the First's or anyone else's influences now." "I just wanted you to know that... before I kill you." "Spike is here because I want him here." "We need him." "I'm in the fight of my life." " Really?" "Not you, Richard." " You want Spike here even after what he's done to you in the past?" " It's different now." "He has a soul." " And the First is exploiting that to his advantage." "Oh, my God." "You're stalling me." "You're keeping me away..." "It's time to stop playing the role of general, and start being one." "This is the way wars are won." "Spike?" "What happened?" "Oh, my God." "I gave him a pass." "Let him live." "On account of the fact I killed his mother." "But that's all he gets." "He even so much as looks at me funny again, I'll kill him." " I lost my mom a couple years ago." "I came home and found her dead on the couch." "I'm sorry." " I understand what you tried to do, but she's dead." " Because he murdered her." " I'm preparing to fight a war, and you're looking for revenge on a man that doesn't exist anymore." " Buffy, don't delude yourself..." "That man still exists." "Spike is the strongest warrior we have." "We are gonna need him if we're gonna come out of this thing alive." "You try anything again, he'll kill you." "More importantly, I'll let him." "I have a mission to win this war, to save the world." "I don't have time for vendettas." "The mission is what matters." " Buffy..." "I..." "I understand your anger." "Please believe me, we did what we..." "He's alive." "Spike's alive." "Wood failed." " Well, that doesn't change anything." "What I told you is still true." "You need to learn..." "No, I think you've taught me everything I need to know."