Merrick acknowledges her inexperience, then tests her reflexes by suddenly throwing a knife at her. Buffy catches it without thinking. When she reacts with fury, Merrick calmly points out that only a Slayer could have done that. She responds by punching him in the face.

At the warehouse, Merrick praises her instincts and apologises for his abrupt training style, explaining that time is short. He tells her that while there are Potentials all over the world, only one girl is chosen. Buffy asks about famous vampires, and Merrick casually reveals that Jack the Ripper and Caligula were the same vampire. He then describes Lothos — an ancient vampire, centuries old, powerful, but still vulnerable to sunlight and stakes. Buffy drifts off into doodling, prompting Merrick to slam a stake onto her notebook to snap her back to attention.

The next morning, Buffy is late again. Merrick, meanwhile, pores over the obituary section of the newspaper, circling names and muttering that Buffy “must be ready soon.” Later, Buffy visits a church and asks a priest to bless several bottles of Perrier.

At school, Buffy meets guidance counsellor Gary Murray, who attempts to bond with her by rambling about his past drug trips. Buffy tunes him out, focusing instead on a fly buzzing around the room. She takes a ball‑head pin from his desk, places it in her mouth, and spits it across the office, pinning the fly to the wall with perfect precision.

Elsewhere, Pike is at home listening to music when Benny — now fully vampiric — appears at his window. Pike refuses to let him in, telling him to come back in the morning, but Benny insists he’s hungry.

That evening, Buffy walks through a dark alley and is attacked by a large vampire. She stakes him easily and celebrates her victory.

Merrick watches from the shadows with a stopwatch, warning her that not all vampires will be that slow. As they drive away, Buffy complains about his lack of encouragement and teases him about his endless brown wardrobe. Merrick insists she must stay disciplined, revealing that he has trained five Slayers before her — all of whom died. He warns her not to think of him as a friend, explaining that emotional attachment only makes it harder when a Slayer falls. Buffy promises she doesn’t plan on dying anytime soon and boasts that she has advantages the others didn’t — namely her “keen fashion sense.”

At school, Kimberly and Jennifer gossip about Cassandra’s body being found near the railway tunnels, speculating about drugs. Andy tries to grope Buffy, and she slams him against the lockers, warning him off. When Jeffrey tells Andy to keep his hands off his “thang,” Buffy firmly reminds him she can handle herself.

At Zeph’s auto shop, Pike prepares to leave town. Benny arrives and bites Zeph, while Pike narrowly escapes by driving off. Amilyn clings to the roof, causing Pike to crash into a tree. Buffy arrives, stakes one of the vampires, and helps Pike back to the shop. As more vampires close in, she hands Pike a stake and begins fighting. She recognises Grueller among them. Grueller declares that Lothos rules the city now and tries to seduce her. Pike stakes him from behind, quipping that Buffy already has a boyfriend and Grueller will have to lust from afar like everyone else.

Merrick finds Pike’s crashed car. Lothos appears, declaring that Merrick cannot hide the Slayer from him. Merrick insists Buffy is different — stronger than she knows. Lothos doubts she poses any real threat, especially being raised in Los Angeles.

Back at the shop, Pike tells Buffy he’s leaving town and thanks her before driving off. Buffy sees Lothos and charges him with a stake. Merrick shouts for her to run, insisting she isn’t ready, and fires at Lothos to distract him. Pike returns and urges Buffy onto his motorcycle. As they flee, Lothos vows to turn Merrick into a vampire and use him to find Buffy. Merrick replies, “Not in this lifetime,” and shoots himself. Buffy, clinging to Pike as they speed away, closes her eyes and begins to cry.