Synopsis of The Harsh Light of Day
Written by Bone
The story opens with Buffy and Willow at the Bronze listening to Oz and his band. Willow sees that Parker is there and tells Buffy. She says he looks good in green and without turning around Buffy says that the color is teal. She can see him in a mirror and Willow comments that a reflection on a guy is a good thing. I seems that Parker and Buffy had been spending a lot of time together the past week and Willow was wondering why Buffy wasn't talking to him. Buffy says they didn't come together and she didn't want to crowd his space.
After the last song Willow and Oz. Hook up and Parker comes over to walk Buffy back to her dorm. He wants to protect her. While the band is loading up their equipment, Willow sees Harmony and asks how she was. She says she's changed, vamps and bites Willow on the neck.
Oz pries her off of Willow with what looks like a cymbal stand and holds her off with a cross. Harmony says that she will tell her boy friend that they were mean to her and runs off.
Parker is walking Buffy back to her room and they are trying to get to know each other better. Buffy is being somewhat elusive because of her identity of being the slayer. He notices a scar on her neck. She says it was an angry puppy. He speaks of living for the now and not having any regrets. She asks him what he would regret the next day if he didn't do it. He says he would regret not asking her out to a dance the next night. She agrees to the date and the go to her room.
At Giles', Xander is helping him categorize his books. He is having trouble with Giles' system. Giles tells him it's the alphabet system. Anya walks in and tells Giles he should keep his door locked. She wants to talk to Xander and tells Giles to leave. He doesn't and she leads Xander out by the arm. She says his mother told her where to find him. Xander is working for Giles to earn money. She wants to know where their relationship is going. He says they really don't have one and that these things take time and just happen. She keeps saying she has dreams about him being naked. She wants to go out on a date the next Friday. He tells her to slow down.
Buffy and Parker are about to kiss good night when Willow and Oz run up and she sees the blood on her neck. She tells Parker it was the angry puppy and she must take care of this. He leaves and they tell her about Harmony being a vamp. Harmony goes to her new boyfriend. Its SPIKE!!!!(YEAH!!!).
Spike and his new gang of vamps are tunneling underground looking for a buried crypt. Harmony wants him to kill Willow and he says he doesn't want to alert the slayer. He tells her to go away and eat something. A young man is chained to the wall. The vamps have been feeding off of him. Harmony doesn't want to eat him. She had a math class with him last year and didn't like him then either. Her complaining pisses off Spike and he roughly pushes her against the wall. She thinks he wants to make out. She likes it rough. She still wants someone else to eat and go to a party. Spike relents.
Buffy and Parker are at the dance they spoke of earlier. She sees Harmony and Spike about to leave with an obviously drunken guy with bite marks on his neck. They drop the guy and run and the Slayer gives chase, leaving Parker at the dance. She loses them in the crowd and then starts trying to track them. Spike surprises her and knocks her down. They start fighting. Buffy asks if Dru dumped him again. Harmony says she left him for a fungus demon. Spike says they are leaving and Harmony blurts out that as soon as the get the Gem of Amarah (sp.?) she'll get hers. Spike tries to hush her up as they run off into the night.
Xander is putting up a glitter ball in his basement apartment as Anya walks in. His mom told her where to find him and also wanted him to be sure to remember to put fabric softener in the wash. She still wants to talk. He offers her some cranapple juice and tells her it is customary to call before visiting. As he turns to get it she drops her dress. As he turns to face her, he squeezes the box of juice until it pops (nice symbolism here).
Buffy calls Giles and tells him about the gem. He says that it was more myth than truth and his books talked vaguely about what the powers of the stone. He tells her she did good work and to go get some sleep. She fakes a yawn and goes back to the party.
Harmony asks Spike if Antonio Banderas is a vamp. Spike says no and she asks if she could make him one. Spike again says no but changes his mind and tells her to vamp Banderas, Melanie and the kids and to take her time. Harmony is in bed marveling that she doesn't have a pulse. She wants to eat a doctor so she can get a stethoscope so she can hear her heart not beating. Spike gets angry and tells her to shut up. She starts running her hands over herself and Spike calms down. (Some really seductive music starts playing. Who is this group) Spike joins her on the bed and says he has chains. She says just because Dorkus liked that stuff doesn't mean she has to. He asks her to say Dru's name. She says Dorkus again. He tells her to bite her tongue. She tells him to it. Wackiness ensues.
Back to Xander and Anya. She is explaining sexual intercourse to him. She feels that if they have sex she will get him out of her mind. She wants to put him behind her figuratively only. She wants the actual event to be face to face. Xander is still awe-struck by her nakedness (what man wouldn't be) as her is trying to explain the directness of her approach. He says he is turning into a woman as he says to her, sex is about expressing something (like love maybe) and accepting consequences (like the chance of rejection). Anya says she has condoms (summer black I believe). He tells her that's considerate of her. She tells he she likes him the way he is shaped. She says that since they have interlocking bodies that they should interlock. She asks him to please remove his clothing. Xander says (probably more to himself) that this was still way more romantic than Faith. They kiss tenderly, a timer goes off and she reminds him of the fabric softener. Wackiness ensues.
Back at the party, Buffy explains to Parker that she was mad at her English friend because he was not supposed to be drinking. He says it was nice of her to look after her friends. They dance, they talk about making choices and he kisses her. She fondles his hair and face. He asks what was she doing. She says making a choice. Giles tries calling her because he found out something about the gem. There is no answer at Buffy and Willow's dorm room. Back to Buffy and Parker.
They continue kissing back at Parker's room. Wackiness ensues.
Buffy awakes alone the next morning. She starts looking for her clothes. Parker comes back with coffee. She was a little worried but they said they would talk later and he says he will call her. She wants one more thing before she leaves. He thinks it's a kiss she wants her pants but gives him a kiss also.
Back at Xander's, he and Anya are getting dressed. She says She guess she is over him now. He says ok. She gets pissed and storms out. Xander is left wonder what he did wrong.
At Spike's harmony is writing hers and Spike's name on his back in a heart. He gets mad. She says he can write on her. He says he has to get back to work tunneling. She says he likes the tunnel more than her. He says he likes syphilis more than her. She looks very hurt as he leaves.
Back at the dorm room, Buffy walks in. She didn't notice Willow and Giles at the computer. She starts to lie and say she was studying and then tells them she was an adult and it was none of their business where she was. Giles and Willow have found a book that says the gem is hidden in the Valley of the Sun also know as Sunnydale. Giles go to do more research to find the crypt and Willow wants Buffy to tell her about her night with Parker. She is all aglow and says that he will call her.
Back at the tunnel, the vamps locate the crypt. Spike tells them all not to leave the lair so that the Slayer cannot track anyone back to the crypt. Harmony starts bitching about not being able to leave the lair and about how he promised her he would take her places. He calls her a stupid bint? ( must be some British word I don't understand) and that the gem is everything. He even came back to Sunnydale where he got his ass kicked many times to find it. When he gets it, they all die. He tells her to shut up about France and to stay inside. She says she doesn't know why she lets him be so mean to her. He tells her that love hurts.
Buffy is looking for Harmony around campus by showing people her picture in the yearbook. She also keeps checking the answering machine at the dorm. No call from Parker. Meanwhile Spike is a work drilling into the crypt. He breaks through. Buffy comes in later that night. Still, no call from Parker.
Spike goes into the chamber above and sees all sorts of jewels around. Harmony comes in also. She is constantly yammering about wanting stuff. He tells her she can have anything except the gem. While she is looking around, he grabs what looks like the most precious jewel on a necklace. He puts it on. She asks if he feels different and says she thought he would glow or something. He touches a cross and burns himself and Harmony is going on and on and on. He breaks a piece of wood and stakes he to shut her up. He doesn't dust but heals up like the Mayor. He grabs a cloth and uses it to grab the cross. He puts it on her head. It doesn't burn her. She has the Gem of Amarah (sp.?). It is a small ring she got from the many in the place. He says she has his ring and she gives it to him and tells him to get out. Spike leaves.
The gang is at Giles' looking for where the crypt could be. Amongst his stuff is a TV. Xander ribs him about being as shallow as the rest of us who watch the tube. They see a news report about the collapse of a section of road. The reporter says tunneling under the road could have caused it. They now know the location of the crypt. Xander goes to get Buffy while the rest of them head to the crypt.
Buffy sees Parker the next day. He is talking to another girl, giving her the same line about losing his dad and living for today. The other girl leaves and they talk. He says that although it was nice being with her he thought she understood the no commitment part. They part but she later goes back to apologize for thinking she had any claim on him( why do women do this???). He says its cool and they would hook up later. He leaves. She hears a voice with an English accent saying, "Well, that was pathetic." She turns and Spike clocks her.
As the slayer is on the ground as Spike is talking about the fresh air, sun and squirrels making little squirrels. He can't wait to see if he freckles. The ring works. Buffy grabs a piece of wood and the fight is on. She quickly gains the upper hand and jabs the wood into Spike. He says it tickles in a good way. Buffy now realizes that the gem makes him invulnerable too and he calls it the official sponsor of her death.
The gang finds Harmony in the crypt. She is crying. They try to talk to her. She vamps and moves toward them.
Xander is at Buffy and Willows dorm room. She isn't there but Anya is as he is about to leave to find her. She looks really hurt. She wants to talk more but Xander has to find Buffy. He tells her not now and leaves as she stands there looking sad.
The gang is trying to find out where Spike was. Harmony does tell the he has the ring. When Giles asks about Spike she jumps through the hole in the floor.
Spike and the Slayer are getting into it good now. He pins her against a post and looks like he is about to bite her. She reaches behind her and grabs him by the neck almost lifting him off the ground. (When you see this scene you have to wonder just how strong a slayer is) She starts winning but soon Spike is in control of the fight. The Slayer is down again. Xander sees what is happening and rushes to help. Spike easily sidesteps him and throws him into a post, knocking him out. Spike is needling her about what he saw with her and Parker (You let Parker take a poke was the line, I believe). She is letting this get to her until he mentions that Angel said something similar. The fire is back in her eyes now. She is up and all over Spike. She quickly subdues him in and arm restraint hold and is about to remove the ring. Spike tells her that they will both burn if she removes the ring this way. The Slayer says let's find out. She pulls the ring off of his finger and Spike starts to burn. He tries to cover his head as he heads toward a sewer opening from which he probably came.
Back at Giles' the gang is looking at the ring. Giles wants to destroy it. Buffy says no. Giles, Oz and Willow realize why. Oz says since he will be going to LA for a gig he can take it to him. Xander, apparently, doesn't know why. She wants Angel to have the ring as Willow asks Xander not to say anything and he stops.
That night, Willow and Buffy are talking about what happened with Parker. Willow calls him poop-head (I agree) Buffy thinks things can still work out between her and Parker. Willow reminds her of the term poop-head. They part, as Buffy wants to take a walk. Anya and Harmony are both out taking a walk also.
THE END
Great episode!!! I am certain with all the relationship issues this will generate quite a bit of talk on the news group.
-Bone
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