Buffy's mom is getting a CATscan done
while Dawn and Buffy wait outside in the hospital lobby.
Over at Giles' shop the rest of the gang is there and
Xander's complaining about Riley who went and blew up the
mausoleum without them which was a little off. They
continue research on Glory while Glory herself received
as a gift a long-lost incantation from a bumbling demon
called Dreg. He says the spell will work so long as she
has the other items needed to cast the spell. Riley goes
to Buffy's house and finds the door unlocked and Spike
upstairs in Buffy's bedroom, sniffing one of her
sweaters. Riley grabs Spike and is about to toss him
outside when Spike says that he spent most of the night
with Buffy. He tells Riley that Buffy likes guys who are
darker than him, and that Riley isn't Buffy's type. Spike
then informs Riley that Buffy's at the hospital because
of her mom. Riley tosses Spike outside and he's obviously
put-off by what Spike has just told him about not being
Buffy's "type". Riley finds Buffy at the
hospital pacing worriedly. Buffy asks him to sit with
Dawn while Buffy foes in to talk to her mom about the
CATscan. Joyce then tells her that they found a shdow in
her CATscan and theyhave to do a biopsy on her in order
to figure out what the shadow is.
Over at Giles' shop, Tara has the idea
that maybe the woman isn't something in their books and
that she's so old that she predates language itself. They
mention the Dagon's Sphere, which only adds to Tara's
theory. Giles is concerned by this because it means that
they have no knowledge on her. Suddenly Glory appears in
the shop wanting to buy two items. Giles, of course,
doesn't recognize her because he's never seen her before.
She pays for her items and then leaves. At the hospital
they've just finished the biopsy and the doctor tells
Buffy that her mother has a brain tumour. A disbelieving
Buffy listens on while the doctor tells her that the
tumour's effects will progress rapidly and he doesn't
know if its operable and that almost 1 out of 3 patients
live just fine afterwards. He asks her questions until
Ben, the intern, calls the doctor away. Ben tells her
that she needs to give herself a break; her mom is going
to be unconscious for at least 7 more hours. Buffy wants
to try a healing spell on her mother, she tells Riley to
take care of Dawn and then heads to the Magic Box.
At Giles' shop Anya start exclaiming over
a receipt she's found. Apparently Giles sold a Colls
Amulet and a Sobeekian bloodstone together which equals
big time danger. Giles thinks there's no problem but then
realizes that he sold the items to a young woman... Riley
takes Dawn to a park. She tells Riley that she's glad
he's around and Buffy's happy too, because she doesn't
get as worked up for him as she used with Angel. Riley is
not pleased with this comment. Buffy is at Giles' shop
and after explaining the situation with her mom Giles
says that they shouldn't try any spells on her mom
because spells and medicine do not work together. Giles
then tells Buffy about selling the amulet and bloodstone
to Glory. Apparently those items are part of a spell that
can transmogrify a living thing. Anya then tells them
that the Sobekites were reptile worshippers and Glory
plans to transmogrify a reptile.
Meanwhile Glory and Dreg are at the
Sunnydale Zoo. Glory grabs a cobra out of a cage and Dreg
begins the incantation. Suddenly Buffy jumps in and
starts pummeling Glory. Glory quickly gains the upperhand
and knocks Buffy roughly around. Dreg completes the spell
and the cobra transmogrifies into an enormous demonic
cobra. Glory requests it to locate the key she's been
searching for. Riley arrives at Giles' shop, looking for
Buffy but she's not there. Xander brings up the fact that
riley blew up the mausoleum without them. Riley then
leaves the shop, muttering something about himself being
a little crazed. Buffy calls Giles from the hospital with
the bad news of the newly formed cobra. She also tells
him that Dawn is on her way over to him. Buffy's going to
hang around the hospital for a while.
Riley, feeling depressed, heads to
Willy's Place and downs a couple of drinks. A vampire
named Sandy attracts his attention. Wanting to find out
what attraction Buffy had so much for vampires, he allows
Sandy to bite his neck. He's then had enough and he
stakes her. Meanwhile Joyce is being told about her brain
tumour while Buffy holds her hand.
Buffy returns to the Magic Box. Dawn
greets her with a hug. Suddenly the cobra demon appears
in the shop. It spots Dawn and knows immediately that she
is the key. They demon leaves and Buffy and Giles chase
after it in Giles' car. Buffy foesn't want it to return
to Glory because it'll reveal Dawn as the key. Meanwhile
Glory is becoming impatient for the answer to the key's
whereabouts. Buffy chases after the demon and jumps on
him. She chokes him with a chain but he's not dead yet.
Then, we uncontrollable disgust, she begins to to pummel
the demon's face over and over and over again.
Later on Buffy returns to the hospital.
Buffy leaves the room as Joyce starts to tell Dawn what's
wrong with herself. Outside the room Riley joins Buffy.
He tries to comfort her but she doesn't want to be
comforted because she's afraid that she'll break down.
Buffy's mom calls for her. She goes into the room and
closes the door behind her, leaving Riley outside, alone.
