Synopsis of Never Leave Me
Xander works to repair the broken windows at Buffy's house. Dawn and Anya are worried about Spike killing again while Buffy and Willow think "it's not that simple".
Andrew is visited by The First-as-Warren wanting Andrew to finish what they started because Jonathan's blood wasn't enough. The First morphs to look like Jonathan and then claims that getting stabbed was the best thing that ever happed to him. Andrew doesn't want to kill anyone else. The First-as-Jonathan says they can work around that.
Buffy ties Spike to a chair. Spike tells her to make the ropes tight because he someone will die if he gets free. Dawn goes to Principal Wood's office and tells him that Buffy is not coming to work because she's sick. At the watcher headquarters in London, Quentin tells the others that "the girl" knows nothing. I'm not sure if he called Buffy or if she called him. But the point is that the Watcher's Council doesn't know where Giles is. Spike is going through withdrawals from human blood and Willow offers to kill Anya (!) but Buffy says no. Buffy tells Willow to go to the butcher and get pig blood instead.
[I swear there was a slight pause before Buffy said no and I'm still shocked that Willow even offered.]
In the school basement, The First-as-Warren urges Andrew to kill a piglet. Andrew can't catch the piglet so they decide to find a different source of blood. As Andrew leaves the butcher shop with packets of blood, he runs into Willow (literally). He tries to run away down an alley but she catches him. He tries to bluff her, claiming that if she harms him she "will know the wrath of he that is darkness and evil." She looks like she knows he is bluffing and bluffs back, telling him that she is still a powerful witch that is "not to be trifled with." Willow grabs Andrew by the shirt and drags him off to Buffy's house.
Andrew gets tied to a chair in the bedroom next to the room where Spike is tied up. (that will be important later) Xander and Anya play the good cop/bad cop routine with him. Anya hits Andrew. Buffy feeds Spike some of the pig blood. Spike admits that he hadn't realized the chip stopped working. They end up talking about his soul and he finally realizes now that Buffy "used" him last season. Apparently he knew it then, but didn't understand it until now.
Xander tries to play nice with Andrew, but Anya bursts in pretending to be angry and tackles Andrew, who quickly agrees to tell them everything. Buffy hears the commotion in the next room and goes to check but while she is gone The First-as-Spike appears. Anya tells Buffy everything is fine so she goes back to Spike. She can hear the singing right before entering. She asks who he was talking to, he claims he was just keeping himself company. Spike is under control of The First again, he knocks Buffy down. Andrew stands with his back to the wall and starts to tell the story of not having enough blood but before he can say anything of value, Spike bursts through the wall and pulls Andrew backward, biting him. Buffy quickly pulls Spike off and throws him against a wall. Spike realizes that he just attacked someone and looks totally confused. Buffy kicks him in the head, knocking him unconscious.
Downstairs, Buffy explains about the singing she heard and Xander realizes Spike has a "trigger" and points out they since they have had visits from "ghosts" that maybe Spike has too and now his "ghost" is controlling him. Buffy says they need to find a way to deactivate the trigger. She asks Dawn and Willow to start doing research. Principal Wood leaves his office at the school and discovers the door to the basement is unlocked. He goes down there and discovers Jonathan's body still lying across the seal.
Spike is now chained to the basement wall but is lying on a cot. Buffy checks on him and he is worried that he hurt someone. She starts talking about Andrew but at Spike's confusion, explains that Andrew is "Tucker's brother."
[That confuses me, because how does Spike know who Tucker is?]
Anyway, Spike thinks Buffy should kill him but she says no. He tries to convince her of how bad he can be by explaining what he used to do to young girls. Again she refuses to kill him. She tells him that she saw him change and now she believes in him. They are interrupted when the lights go out and figures wearing black robes enter the house. (They are known as 'bringers.)
Elsewhere at what appears to be a construction site, Principal Wood buries Jonathan.
Back at the house, Willow gets knocked out by a 'bringer. Dawn fights against them surprisingly well. A 'bringer goes upstairs to attack Andrew and Buffy goes after it. After it's over they realize there were more of them than there are bodies left over. They realize the 'bringers were after Spike and hurry downstairs but Spike is not there. Buffy returns to the living room and looks closer at one of the bodies. She sees that the eyes are sewn shut. She recognizes them. (If you don't remember, they were in an episode called Amends back in season 2.) Buffy informs the others that they are up against The First Evil.
Over in London, Quentin tells the others that they "are crippled" because all of their files have been destroyed and they have also lost contact with several of their people stationed around the world. He states that the First Evil has "declared all-out war on this institution" and he claims that it's "time we strike back". Then it suddenly switches to show us the outside of the building and a second later it explodes.
In the school basement, Spike is tied to a wooden frame by 'bringers while The First-as-Spike watches. It's tilted forward so he is hanging over the seal. A 'bringer cuts symbols into Spike's chest and the blood drips onto the seal causing it starts to glow around the edges. The First has morphed to look like Buffy and it smiles, asking Spike if he wants to see what a REAL vampire looks like. A gray vampire emerges. It looks a little scary, no hair, claw-like fingernails and nasty looking teeth.
[Later when Buffy sees it, she calls it an ubervamp.]