Into the Woods

At the hospital, the Scooby Gang awaits news from the doctor about Joyce's surgery and they are all relieved when the surgery is a success. Dawn spends the night with Xander and Anya. With the house to themselves, Buffy and Riley spend some a romantic evening together. In the middle of the night, Riley sneaks out of the house. Spike, who has been standing outside the house, secretly follows Riley to an old building.

Buffy spends the day with her mother in the hospital discussing Joyce's wig options and Buffy's relationship with Riley. Spike wakes Buffy from sleep that night to show her what Riley has been doing. Buffy is shocked to find him in the arms of a female vampire, being fed upon. Graham has persuaded his commanding officer to seek Riley's help in destroying demons for the government. They offer Riley

Buffy and the gang go after the nest of vampires only to find the building empty. Buffy sets the building on fire, leaving her friends in the dark about what's truly bothering her. Riley is furious that Spike allowed Buffy to see the truth and after throwing the vampire around a bit, he stakes him. Fortunately for Spike, the stake is plastic. Spike and Riley talk and find that they both love her, but she doesn't return the feeling to either of them.

Buffy releases her aggressions on a punching bag in the training room until Riley shows up determined to talk to her. He tells her he started it because he wanted to know what Buffy felt when she was bitten Riley tells her that the vampires needed him and Buffy didn't. After Buffy tries to convince him that she's given him everything she has, Riley tells her about the offer to return to the government. He is going to leave unless she can give him a reason to stay.

The vampires from the nest surround Buffy as she's leaving the shop. She stakes every single one of them. Xander witnesses this and confronts Buffy, not willing to let her hide from her problems. He shows her the truth that she's been ignoring, and tells her that she has to decide if she's really willing to loose Riley for good. She runs as fast as she can, but Buffy is unable to get to the airport fast enough to stop Riley from leaving. The helicopter takes off with Buffy on the landing pad, calling after Riley.

After his talk with Buffy, Xander realizes that he needs to tell Anya how much he loves her and he does. Still shocked, Buffy returns home while Riley leaves Sunnydale, not looking back.