'Anne' Story Code '3ABB01' by Joss Whedon

In Sunnydale, Willow, Xander and Oz are trying to carry on Buffy’s work in her absence - but they are not very good at slaying vampires. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Buffy is renting an apartment and working in a diner using her middle name, Anne. Here she meets Lily, who remembers Buffy from the time when she was a member of the vampire-wannabe cult that the Slayer once saved; Lily tells Buffy that her boyfriend Ricky has gone missing, and Buffy reluctantly agrees to help look for him. They find the body of an old man in an alley, and a tattoo on his arm leads Lily to identify him as Ricky. Meanwhile, Joyce tells Giles that she blames him for Buffy’s disappearance. Lily is taken in by Ken, who runs a centre for runaway teenagers called ‘The Family Home’. Hearing that the girl is about to be initiated, Buffy follows her into the centre; she, Lily and Ken pass through a strange black pool and into an other-dimensional factory. Buffy discovers that Ken is a demon who has been posing as a human in order to kidnap runaways which he sets to work as slave labour in the factory; there are literally hundreds of teenagers here, watched over by demonic guards. Ken tells them that a day on Earth is equal to a hundred years in this dimension. Buffy and Lily are put to work, but the Slayer swiftly organises a rebellion amongst the slaves; she kills Ken and leads the slaves to safety. Buffy and Lily return to Earth, where Buffy gives Lily her job and her apartment. Later, back in Sunnydale, the doorbell rings at the Summers’ house; Joyce answers it and finds Buffy standing there. After a moment of stunned surprise, she sweeps her daughter up into a tearful hug.

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), David Boreanaz (Angel), Seth Green (Oz), Anthony Stewart Head (Rupert Giles), Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers), Julia Lee (Lily), Carlos Jacott (Ken), Mary-Pat Green (Nurse), Chad Todhunter (Rickie), Larry Bagby III (Larry), James Lurie (Teacher), Michael Leopard (Roughneck), Harley Zumbrum (Demon guard), Barbara Pilavin (Old woman), Harrison Young (Old man), Alex Toma (Aaron), Dell Yount (Truck guy)
Directed by Joss Whedon

TX (US): 29th September 1998
TX (UK - Sky One): 20th August 1999
TX (UK - BBC): 30th March 2000

Notes:
*Featuring Buffy, Xander, Willow, Giles, Oz, Cordelia and Angel