spike and anya get dressed and act awkwardly and embarrassed about their impulsive behavior. as spike leaves the shop, xander attacks him. xander is about to stake spike when anya comes outside, trying to stop him; she distracts him long enough for buffy to knock him out of the way. xander and anya yell at each other. xander is disgusted that anya had "let that evil, soulless thing touch [her]"; spike quietly remarks that he was good enough for buffy. xander tells spike to leave buffy out of it – then he and anya see buffy's startled face and connect the dots. this is too much for xander; he drops the stake and walks away stunned. buffy also walks off, angry at spike for revealing their secret. spike finally starts to make a wish, but anya stops him, and they part ways.