Bargaining Part I/II

Part I

The Scooby Gang patrol in the absence of the Slayer. Willow and her growing powers lead the efforts and the gang with telepathy and other magic from a perch on top of a crypt. She's even brought back the Buffybot who helps the group slay several vampires. At the Summers home, Willow and Tara are living there with Dawn and the Buffybot. Willow tried to make the robot more normal, but her tuning never really goes quite like planned.

The Buffybot is sent out with Dawn for Parent Day at Dawn's school. Despite some odd comments and tense moments, the Buffybot doesn't cause much of a scene and isn't suspected of not being real. At the magic shop, Giles is packing up his items in preparation for his return to England. Anya is torn between the idea of losing Giles and taking over the shop on her own.

That night, Spike stays with Dawn while the rest of the gang has a meeting. Dawn suggests that Spike can leave, but he is determined not to leave her to be hurt ever again and starts a card game. The Buffybot hunts vampires, but gets hit with a bottle and her motion skills are impaired. Anya has found--on E-bay of all places--the Urn of Osiris. Willow's pleased and announces their plans to bring back Buffy the next night. She stresses that Giles, Spike and Dawn can't know, and that because Buffy was killed by mystical energy, they have a chance of bringing her back.

Willow returns home to find Spike keeping a wounded Buffybot out of trouble. Some left-behind Spike-obsessed Warren programming strikes a nerve with the vampire and he leaves. Without her real sister, Dawn tries to find comfort from the Buffybot, but doesn't get much. The next day, Giles tries to teach the Buffybot new skills, like breathing, then they talk about Giles' reason to be in Sunnydale now that Buffy is gone.

The vampire that hit the Buffybot with a bottle rants to several biker demons and the news is spilled that a robot has now taken over for the Slayer. The demons ride out to wreak havoc in Sunnydale. Willow works on a spell in an open outdoor location and a baby deer approaches her. She sudden stabs it in the throat and finishes her spell. She returns to the magic shop claiming she got the blood from the black market.

The gang finds a note from Giles stating that he's already left. Not about to accept a silent escape, the track him down at the airport and he gets a proper farewell with presents, signs, balloons and tears. After Giles departs, Willow, Xander, Anya and Tara return home for final preparations and then head to the cemetery. They prepare the ritual, sitting around Buffy's grave and Willow begins the spell. Willow is cut on her arms and a large snake is produced from her mouth, but Tara insists that they don't stop.

Meanwhile, Spike watches over Dawn and the while the bikers are tearing Sunnydale apart. Buffybot tries to stop them, but the leader, Razor, wounds her and she runs away to be repaired. The bikers then hit the cemetery and interrupt Willow's spell by breaking the Urn of Osiris. One of the bikers tries to take Anya away, but Tara uses magic to get her back. Xander tells Willow that the spell didn't work but in the coffin, a dead, decaying body reverts back to the live and confused form of Buffy.

Part II

Xander carries a weakened Willow off to the magic shop where Tara and Anya will meet them with Spike and Dawn. The Buffybot is in the possession of the demon bikers and getting beaten badly. Meanwhile, beneath the ground, the real Buffy desperately fights her way through her coffin. Xander stops on the way to the Magic Shop, and Willow breaks down into tears as she thinks her attempt to bring Buffy back failed. Tara and Anya pause on their way in time to hide from a few of Razor's followers and overhear their conversation about visiting some stores.

Spike prepares to leave the house with Dawn for a safer location. Buffy finally breaks out of her coffin and rises to the surface. Dressed in black, Buffy roams the damaged streets of Sunnydale, confused by the mayhem occurring. Back at the Magic Shop, Tara and Anya return to find that the store is still safe. Tara starts to cast a spell to locate Willow and Xander. Xander questions Willow's directions back to the shop and the power of the spell she conducted. A small blue light appears and it's Tara.

A disorientated Buffy bumps into a car, setting off the alarm and causing the owner to threaten her with a shotgun. Out in the streets, Spike knocks one of the demons off his moving bike and takes it for him and Dawn to ride off on. The gang meets up at the shop to discuss their plans and how they're going to deal without Buffy, Spike, Giles or a strong Willow. The real Buffy stumbles upon the demon bikers in the midst of celebration. Four demons on their bikes are chained to the limbs of the Buffybot and drive off in four different directions, destroying her.

The real Buffy draws attention to herself and is forced to run off followed by the bikers. The Scooby Gang are armed and ready for battle, discussing the reasons for their failure when Buffy drops down from a fence in front of them. Willow recognizes her as the real Buffy, but scares her off. The gang follows and Xander realizes just what their spell accomplished. Buffy is frightened and confused, but is motivated to kick demon ass when Razor and his crew try to hurt her and her friends.

Dawn and Spike find Buffybot's head and torso and while Spike looks for the rest of her, the robot hints that the real Buffy is back. Dawn takes off, leaving Spike to freak out when he doesn't know where she went. Buffy finishes off most of the demons, but Razor doesn't die and Buffy runs off to the tower where she died. Willow, Tara and Anya fight with and eventually kill Razor with various weapons and magic. Dawn is able to track down Buffy at the tower and follows the Slayer as she heads to the top.

Buffy remembers what occurred the last time she was there until Dawn interrupts. Buffy questions if she's in hell and and contemplates another jump. The tower starts to collapse and as Dawn begs Buffy to come with her, she's needed. Buffy uses a rope and pulley to get partially to the ground. They fall the rest of the distance and Buffy cushions the fall and rolls them out of the way before the tower completely. Safe, the girls hug, but Buffy's eyes don't reflect happiness.