Buffy and Riley met during her Freshman year of college. He was her psychology TA, and for the longest time, he found her extremely odd. Finally, his friends helped him see that his constant scrutiny of her was a symptom of serious interest, and he decided to ask Buffy out. They had a number of false starts. At first, things were awkward because both were hiding a secret life. Then Buffy was hesitant to get involved in another "office romance" after she learned that he was a demon-hunting soldier for The Initiative. Riley, though, thought their extra-curricular activities just meant they were even more compatible and resolved to win her over. Eventually, Buffy admitted her attraction to him, and they began dating.

Riley convinced his boss, Maggie Walsh, to invite the Slayer to join The Initiative. Both were amazed by her strength and prowess. Buffy worried that her strength would intimidate Riley, but he thought she was simply incredible. Maggie, however, became distressed at Buffy's growing influence on Riley and tried to have the Slayer killed. She failed, of course, and was killed by a demon she'd created.

Maggie's death affected Riley greatly for many reasons, not the least of which was the fact that with her gone, he was off his drug regimen. He became paranoid and violent, suspecting Buffy of Maggie's murder, but when he was taken to an Initiative hospital, he clung to a scarf she had given him as if it were a lifeline. When he was better, he turned his back on The Initiative to be with Buffy. They were happy together for a long time, but things inevitably fell apart.

Riley was deeply in love with Buffy, but he knew she didn't love him. He seemed willing to accept this for a time, but Buffy continued to pull away. Then Riley's Initiative-given strength finally failed him. And at the same time, Buffy had to deal with her mother's poor health and the new sister she needed to protect. She neglected their relationship in favour of these pressing concerns, and he resorted to more and more drastic measures to find a way to fit into her life. Constant goading from Spike certainly didn't help matters, and Riley embarked on an ill-advised course of action.

In a misguided effort to try to understand the pull that the darker aspects of Buffy's life seemed to have on her, Riley allowed himself to be bitten by a vampire. He staked her before she could kill him, of course, but the feeling left him craving more. And before long, he was hooked on the rush and the feeling that, at least to these vampires, he was needed.

In a typically "Buffy" twist of horrible timing, Buffy found out about this on the same night that The Initiative approached Riley about coming back. He said he would stay if she would give their relationship a fair chance, but she felt too betrayed and angry. She changed her mind later and tried to reach his helicopter in time. She called out to him, but he couldn't hear her. The helicopter flew away, and Riley was gone.

Riley returned to Sunnydale on a mission a year later, seeking Buffy's help. The two worked well together, and Buffy seemed to recall all the reasons she'd liked him in the first place, but there was one major obstacle to any relationship between them - namely his new wife, Sam. When the mission was over, Buffy and Riley were finally able to put some needed closure on their relationship before he and his wife flew away towards their next mission.

Pivotal Episodes:
The Freshman, The Initiative, Hush, Doomed, The I in Team, Goodbye Iowa, Where The Wild Things Are, The Replacement, Out of My Mind, Shadow, Into the Woods, As You Were

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