Surprise

Buffy is tossing and turning in her bed. She startles herself awake (holy eye-shadow, Batman!) and turns on the lamp so we have a better view of her reaching for her water glass. Finding it empty, she gets up to refill it. While Buffy's walking down the hall, Drusilla turns a corner and creeps up behind her. Drusilla has a spot of blood on the ass-crack of her lip. There has to be a better word for that. Buffy opens the door to the bathroom but instead finds herself in the Bronze. She walks through the crowd to see Willow sharing a table with an organ grinder's monkey. In French, because what is a dream sequence without a bit of French, Willow says to the monkey, "The hippo stole his pants." Willow catches sight of Buffy and, smiling wide, waves at her in an excited Willow-esque manner. Buffy continues onward to see Joyce standing by a pillar with an oversized cup and saucer in her hands. Joyce says, "Do you really think you're ready, Buffy?" and then drops her saucer. Buffy watches it fall and shatter while Joyce turns and walks away. Buffy walks some more and then turns to see Angel. They smile and walk towards each other, but just then Drusilla appears behind Angel with a stake held high. She plunges it deep into him from behind and Buffy yells out, "Angel!" They reach towards each other, their fingertips not quite touching, but Angel begins to disintegrate, crumbling, his rings tumbling to the floor. Drusilla approaches Buffy and wishes her a happy birthday. In her room Buffy wakes up, for real this time.

There's a knocking at the door of Angel's apartment, Tacky City. I've gotten most of my furniture off of the street and my apartment is still decorated better than Angel's. He opens it to reveal a worried Buffy. Buffy's skirt is short. Way short. You know how for a long time scientists thought that atoms were the smallest particle of matter until they discovered quarks? Well, that's Buffy's micro-mini. It's the quark of micro-minis. Buffy asks Angel if he's okay, and after he assures her that he's fine, he goes to grab a shirt. Buffy tells Angel about her dream, and he strokes her cheek and tells her that he's right there. Buffy isn't having it and reminds Angel that she does have prophetic dreams, but Angel counters that it's a hit-and-miss thing. Buffy is still agitated and says, "But what if Drusilla is alive? We never saw her body." Angel: "She's not. But even if she was, we'd deal." Buffy protests some more but Angel, having exhausted his repertoire -- he's not made for extended conversation -- grabs her and lays one on. Smack, slurp, smooch. Buffy has to go to school. Smooch, slurp, smack. Angel reminds Buffy that she has to go to school. Slurp, smack, smooch. Buffy tells Angel that she likes "seeing [him] at bedtime" and that "the part at the end of the night where we say good-bye. It's getting harder." Harder to watch, maybe.

Cut to Willow and Buffy walking across campus. True-to-form of high school girls everywhere, they dissect the conversation that Buffy just had with Angel. Buffy wonders to Willow what she should do about Angel, and Willow advises her to seize the day. Buffy responds, "Right. I think we're going to. Seize it. Once you get to a certain point then seizing is sort of inevitable." Huh. That sounds a tad unpleasant, but hey, it's Angel, King of Pain, so I'm not surprised if he's into that. Willow gets all "wow" to Buffy and they start walking to class. Buffy notices Oz sitting on a table practicing guitar. Willow crushes aloud to Buffy for a moment but then seems worried that Oz, being a senior, is too old for her. Buffy: "Please. My boyfriend had a bicentennial." And you look like you've got one coming up too, Buffy. I mean, what is up with that hair? The young matron cut and the ash-blonde dye aren't helping your cause. Buffy advises Willow that she can't "spend the rest of [her] life waiting for Xander to wake up and smell the hottie. Make a move." Buffy takes off; Willow considers her options for a moment before finally approaching Oz. He says hello and they make some small talk, but let's get to the good stuff. Just as Willow is starting to feel a little awkward, Oz says, "I'm gonna ask you to go out with me tomorrow night and I'm kind of nervous about it, actually. It's interesting." Willow: "Oh. Well, if it helps at all, I'm going to say yes." Oz says that it "creates a comfort zone," and then proceeds to ask her out. Willow smacks her forehead in frustration and says that she can't. Oz: "Well, see, I like that you're unpredictable." Willow tells him that she has to go to a surprise party for Buffy's birthday and invites him to go as her date. Oz gives a little half-smile at Willow's word choice. He agrees to go, and Willow walks off repeating "I said 'date'" to herself. Let's all take a moment to sigh dreamily at what is the best execution of pre-first-date maneuvering in the entire history of the world. ["Willow and Oz make me swoon. Sigh." -- Ace]

Cordelia is at her locker getting some books with Xander standing behind her. The stylist should really reconsider Xander's hairstyle. Without the coverage of bangs, Xander's receding hairline and craggy forehead don't do much to bolster the illusion that he's a high school student. ["Oh, actually I thought this was his most flattering hairstyle. Better than the greasy comb-down of season four." -- Ace] Xander suggests that he and Cordelia go to Buffy's party together. Cordelia doesn't answer, and instead turns to him and demands to know why he thinks they should. Xander suggests that, since they keep making out, they might as well just admit that they're dating. Cordelia: "Groping in a broom closet isn't dating. You don't call it a date until the guy spends money." Xander: "Fine. I'll spend, then we'll grope. Whatever. I just think it's some kind of whack that we feel we have to hide it from all our friends." Cordelia with her "manners are for poor people" attitude replies, "Well, of course you wanna tell everybody. You have nothing to be ashamed of. I, on the other hand, have everything to be ashamed of." Xander has had enough and tells her to forget it before stalking off.

A bit further down the hall, Xander runs into Giles, who asks him if everything is set for the party. Giles tells Xander that Buffy and Jenny are headed their way and reminds him to keep the lid on the party situation. Xander tells Buffy that he "feel[s] a pre-birthday spanking coming on." Jenny tells him to "curb that impulse" and Xander, speaking into his shirt as if there were a microphone there, says, "Check. Cancel spanking." They sit at a table and Giles notes that Buffy seems tired. Maybe it's from staying up so late trying to find ever trashier combinations for her clothes. She's wearing that same micro-mini she had on at Angel's, but now we can see the white go-go boots she's paired it with. She tells them about her dream. Giles tells her not to worry but Buffy says, "I know. I should keep my Slayer cool, but it's Angel, which automatically equals maxi-wig." Please excuse me while I suppress my giggles and make a "Now with wings!" pun under my breath.

At Spike and Dru's warehouse, Dalton lugs a large wooden box inside. Spike directs him to put it on the gift table. Drusilla pushes Spike in his wheelchair over to the gift table. He tries to talk her into having her party in Vienna because he's "had it" with Sunnydale. Dru hushes him and says that she's "got good games for everyone," and licks his cheek. Ew. Dru goes to inspect some roses, and then starts swaying and moaning because the flowers are "wrong." She screams, "I can't abide them," and starts ripping the buds off. The vampire florists look worried until Spike, cool as ever, says, "Let's try something different with the flowers then." Dru calms down, and then spies the presents and coos, "Can I open one?" "Just a peek, love," replies Spike. Drusilla opens one and smiles, saying, "It reeks of death." She tells Spike that this party will be the "best party ever" because "it will be the last," as she slams the lid shut.

In the kitchen of the Summers' home, Joyce reminds Buffy of the impending trip to the mall on Saturday. Joyce asks Buffy if she feels any different now that she's seventeen, and Buffy says, "You know, I woke up feeling more responsible, mature and levelheaded. I now possess the qualities one looks for in a licensed driver." She gives Joyce a hopeful look and Joyce says, "Do you really think you're ready, Buffy?" and drops the plate that she's holding. Cue the spooky music.

Jenny Calendar is going through some things at her desk when a man dressed in a dark suit approaches her from behind. He says her name and she spins around, startled. They make a little small talk when the man -- oh forget it. It's Uncle Enyos. You know it, I know it, your mother and her chicken both know it. So Uncle Enyos starts to give Jenny a hard time, saying that the elder woman has seen that "his" pain is lessening. Jenny looks down, feeling a little guilty, and lets it slip that there's this girl. Uncle Enyos and his shoelace tie are disgusted at Jenny's apparent shirking of her duties. Uncle Enyos orders her to "do what [she] must to take her from him."