Synopsis of Out of My Mind
Written by TK
Buffy is in the graveyard at night by herself killing vampires. Suddenly Riley joins her and starts slaying vampires too, tossing them around like he was the slayer herself. Buffy is surprised to see him. Then Spike joins in, trying to help slay vampires, but needing a little help from Buffy. Buffy yells at Spike to go home and Spike calls her out as being annoyed with Riley's presence as well. Buffy and Riley leave, and Riley apologizes for stepping on her toes. Buffy says it's not a big deal, and she was impressed with Riley's performance, tossing around vampires like they were nothing. Meanwhile, Spike vows vengeance against the slayer.
Buffy and Willow are leaving class debating martyrs in the French Revolution. Willow is happy that they're debating a college lecture, but then makes a really nerdy joke that Buffy doesn't get. Willow notes that Buffy has been working hard lately, and Buffy says yeah, and it's not easy. Studying, training, studying, training....
Xander, Giles and Anya are working on getting the magic shop into shape. Buffy and Willow come over (somehow Tara ends up in the scene too, later, but I can't figure out where she came from). Buffy goes to the back room with Giles to start training. Tara tells Willow that it would be cool to have a real psychic do fortune telling here. Willow tells Tara she should do it.
Buffy walks into the training room and Riley jumps out from behind the door and tackles her. The training is all fixed up with mats and weapons and a dummy and a vaulting horse 'n stuff. Buffy thinks it's amazing, and thanks Giles and Xander for their hard work to put it together. Meanwhile, Riley is anxious to spar with Buffy.
Spike is in his tomb watching Dawson's Creek. Harmony comes in, saying that Buffy is out looking for her. She asks Spike to help her. Spike convinces her that she really needs to go after the slayer again, and promises to help her with the hard part... the thinking part.
Riley and Buffy are in bed, having just finished having sex. Buffy says it was relaxing. Riley asks her if she wants to relax some more. Buffy is surprised that he's want to go again so quickly.
Dawn and Joyce are having breakfast. Dawn is digging for a prize in the bottom of a cereal box, but really want to eat eggs. Joyce is bringing her eggs when suddenly she stops, looks at Dawn, asks her who she is, and then faints. Dawn runs for the phone.
At the hospital, an intern tells Buffy that her mother is okay, and they're not really sure what happened. Meanwhile, Dawn is playing with a stethoscope. She listens to the intern's heart and Buffy's heart and they're both normal. Then she listens to Riley's heart (he came to the hospital with Buffy) and it sounds like a horse galloping.
Riley has been examined, and the doctor tells him he shouldn't leave with such a bad case of tachycardia, but he refuses to stay. The doctor tells him he could have a heart attack at any moment. The doc leaves and Buffy asks Riley what he's doing, but he assures her he'll be fine. Joyce and Dawn come in and Joyce says she's ready to go home.
Joyce is on the couch at home, resting, and Dawn, Buffy and Willow are treating her like an invalid. She says it's making her feel like a lump, and she's really worried about Riley. Buffy tells her not to worry about him.
Upstairs in her room, Buffy tells Dawn and Willow that she's worried about Riley. She's frustrated that it feels like Big Brother is watching her, but there's no one to get in touch with when Riley's in trouble. Dawn says if she really thinks someone is watching, then she should just say out loud that Riley is in trouble and then the watching people will know. Like how Dawn writes fake things in her diary in case people read it. Buffy takes off.
Buffy goes to Riley's room. When she's sure he's not there, she picks up his phone and listens to the clicking in the dial tone. She says into the phone that Riley is in trouble and needs help, and then hangs up.
Riley is playing a very active game of basketball with some friends. When he walks off the court to get some water, he is approached by his old friend Graham who has two agents with him. Graham tells Riley that they need to operate on him, that he needs help and they're the ones to give it to him. Riley doesn't trust him. Graham says Riley doesn't have a choice. Riley punches Graham, takes out the two agents, and runs.
Graham and Buffy are talking about Riley. Graham tells Buffy that if she can find Riley, she should get him to the fourth floor of Sunnydale General where a doctor is waiting. He is too strong and feeling no pain, and his heart can't take it. Buffy says she'll get him there.
Riley is wandering around in a maze of caves.
At the magic shop, Buffy tells everyone she can't find Riley anywhere. She sends Xander and Anya down to the docks to look, and Willow says she and Tara can go to the old burnt out high school, since Riley hid there before maybe it'll be homey to him. Buffy realizes that the old Initiative caves might seem homey to him too, but she doesn't know them. Giles mentions that Spike knows them. Buffy is reluctant to deal with Spike.
In his cave, Spike and Harmony are playing 20 questions when Buffy bangs on the door. Harmony hides in a coffin just as Buffy bursts in. Buffy offers Spike a wad of cash if he'll find Riley, who is sick, and get him to the Initiative doctor on the fourth floor of Sunnydale General. Spike taunts her a bit, but then says he'll do it. Buffy leaves. Harmony pokes her head out and asks what Buffy said about her.
Graham goes to the doctor on the fourth floor of Sunnydale General and asks if the doc has heard anything. The doc says they're running out of time, in fact, they may have already run out of time. Harmony and Spike come bursting in, Harmony taking out the guard and Graham and then holding a crossbow on the doctor. Spike tells the doc he's got a new patient.
Buffy is hunting around in the caves for Riley.
Spike and Harmony have taken the doctor to the medical school to operate on Spike and get the chip out. The doctor says he's not familiar with this procedure and he could turn Spike into a vegetable. Spike assures the doc that he'll be fine and to get on with it. Harmony shoots the crossbow by accident, just missing the doc. She says the string is slippy.
Willow and Tara are at the burnt out school looking for Riley. They realize it's dark and they've forgotten a flashlight. Willow casts a spell that makes like. Tara is impressed. Willow reminds Tara that Tara taught her how to do it. Tara says she taught Willow how to make little Tinkerbell light. Willow says she just modified the spell a bit.
Buffy finds Riley in the caves. He insists that he's not going to a doctor. Buffy can't understand why he's so adamant about not getting treated when he'll probably die without treatment. Riley says he doesn't want to be normal Joe schmoe, 'cause then Buffy might leave him. Buffy can't believe what she's hearing. He mentions that her last boyfriend wasn't exactly normal. She says she's not dating him for his super powers. If she wanted super powers, she'd be dating Spike. She assures him that she loves him for who he is, not what he can do. She convinces him to go to the hospital.
The doc has started operating on Spike with Harmony keeping watch and annoying him with her chatter.
Buffy and Riley get to the hospital and find Graham and the guard unconscious. They wake up Graham and he says that Hostile #17 and a blonde girl knocked them out. Buffy realizes that Spike double-crossed her and is probably getting the doc to take out his chip. She tells Graham to get his agents or whatever to check all local doctor's offices and veterinary clinics. Riley doubles over in pain at one point, but insists he's fine.
The doc says he's got the chip. Spike tells the doc to stitch him up because he's got a slayer to kill.
The doc is stitching up Spike. Spike is about to kill and drink the doctor when Riley and Buffy come bursting in. Spike is glad to see her, and tells her that the chip is out. The doc starts to run, but Buffy slams him onto the floor saying he should stick around because they'll need him. The two couples face-off, and suddenly, Harmony accidentally shoots Riley in the leg with the crossbow. Harmony and Riley start duking it out, Riley obviously ailing but still putting up a good fight. Spike gets ready to relish slayer blood and jumps Buffy, but as soon as he goes to bite her neck he is in terrible pain. Riley goes to give one last blow to Harmony and doubles over, grabbing his chest. Buffy throws Spike across the room and goes to tend to Riley. Spike looks in the tin where the doctor put his chip. In the tin is a penny. He looks at the doctor. The doctor says that he told Spike he couldn't do the operation. The doc runs to Buffy and Riley while Spike and Harmony take off.
Spike and Harmony are in the graveyard. Spike is furious, so frustrated by the slayer and the fact that he can't do anything about her. He says that it's got to end.
The doctor finishes working on Riley. He's all patched up and back to normal. Buffy kisses him and tells him she still loves him. She asks him if he's okay, 'cause she need to go check on her mom. She leaves and Riley feels a bit abandoned.
Riley and Graham are talking. Graham says it's a good thing Riley got help when he did, 'cause he was about to detonate. Graham tells Riley that he doesn't belong in Sunnydale. He used to have a mission, and now he's just the mission's boyfriend. He should come back to the military. Riley doesn't want to hear it.
Buffy shows up at Spike's tomb to kill him. He takes off his shirt and asks her to kill him, to take him out the world that she's in. She walks up to him with the stake, but then he grabs her and kisses her. She kisses him back for a moment, and then pushes him away and stares at him in shock. Suddenly, she walks back up to him, grabs his head and passionately kisses him, telling him she wants him. He tells her he loves her. Suddenly, Spike wakes up from his dream, in bed next to a sleeping Harmony and completely horrified at his subconscious.
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