I Will Remember You

Part 1

(September 29, 1999)

Written by: David Greenwalt & Jeannine Renshaw

Teaser

INT. ANGEL'S OFFICE - DAY

AN OLD FASHIONED MANTEL CLOCK -- IT READS 8:43. PULLING BACK: ANGEL inserts a gold key, winds the clock. He sets it on his desk, studies it for a beat, something about its angle bothers him. He looks at the desktop, sets a pencil on it -- the pencil rolls slowly across it -- the desk's not level.

CORDELIA AND DOYLE silently appear in the slat window that separates his office from theirs -- looking in on him -- his back to them.

INT. OUTER OFFICE - DAY

Cordy and Doyle step back from the window, have a private confab. Cordy is pretty worried:

CORDELIA
When did he get back?

DOYLE
Late last night.

CORDELIA
And... ?

DOYLE
He seemed fine.

CORDELIA
He saw Buffy, he was in Sunnydale for
three days tracking her and that
thingamajiggy you saw in your
vision...

She peeks in at Angel who's standing at the end of his desk, a hand on each corner, rocking it slightly.

CORDELIA
Where's the crabby scowl, the morbid gloom?
(turns back to Doyle)
This just means it cut deeper than
usual, batten down the hatches, here
comes Hurricane Buffy.

DOYLE
You think...? Maybe he's over her.

CORDELIA
(snorts)
You have so much to learn, little
Irish man.

She glances back in at: ANGEL - as he opens a drawer (we don't see what's in it), rummages around, pulls out a thin, pointy stake. Holds it up, feels the point, thinking.

CORDELIA
Oh my God!

INT. ANGEL'S OFFICE - DAY

Cordy and Doyle burst in as Angel, stake in hand, heads for his desk.

CORDELIA
Don't do it, Angel!

DOYLE
Listen to her, man. It's not worth it.

He stops, looks at them.

ANGEL
It's not?

CORDELIA
No. You can't let her get to you like
this -- you'll meet someone else,
you've just got to give it time.

DOYLE
(re: stake)
Why don't you let me have that.

Angel looks at them for a beat, then:

ANGEL
Because I need it to level my desk,
the floor's uneven.

Angel slips the pointy end of the stake under one of the desk legs.

ANGEL
(amused)
You two thought...?

CORDELIA
Doyle did, you know how he jumps to
conclusions... 'cause you saw Buffy.

ANGEL
It wasn't a social call, I was there
to protect her. I stayed out of sight,
she never even knew I was there.

CORDELIA
Really?

Angel nods.

CORDELIA
(concerned)
So you avoided her...

ANGEL
Look, Buffy will always be a part of
me, that's never going to change --
but she's human and I'm... not -- and
that's also never going to change. We
said our good-byes, no need to stir
any of that up again.

CORDELIA
You don't want to stir, but... if my
ex came to town and was all stalking
me in the shadows and then left and
never even said hello, I'd be...

BUFFY (O.S.)
...a little upset...

They turn. BUFFY stands in the doorway. Wearing one of those lovely peasant blouses.

BUFFY
Wouldn't you?

Off Angel and Buffy...

BLACK OUT

END OF TEASER

Act One

INT. ANGEL'S OFFICE - DAY

As before: Buffy holding Angel's gaze.

CORDELIA
Buffy. Buffy's here. In town. What
brings you to... ?

BUFFY
I came to see my father,
thought I'd stop by.

CORDELIA
What a surprise.

BUFFY
How are you, Cordelia?

CORDELIA
Good. I'm good. You?

BUFFY
(glances at Angel)
I've been better.

CORDELIA
Uh huh. Well this is Doyle, he gets
visions of people in trouble...

DOYLE
Nice to make your --

Cordy drags Doyle out.

CORDELIA
...and this is us leaving you two
alone now.

Cordy pulls Doyle out of the office, shutting the door.

ANGEL
Well... it's good to... can I get you anything?

BUFFY
How 'bout... an explanation. Who do
you think you are, coming to my town,
following me around behind my back?
What is that, some new kind of
torment you cooked up just for me?

ANGEL
No. I didn't want to torment --

BUFFY
You can see me but I can't see you?
What are we playing here?

ANGEL
We're not -- I'm not playing
anything. I wrestled with this
decision --

BUFFY
-- which you made without me --

ANGEL
I tried to do what I thought was
right, it's complicated how this all
happened, Buffy, you know? It's kind
of a long story.

BUFFY
Your sidekick had a vision, I was in
it, you came to Sunnydale.

ANGEL
Okay, maybe not that long...

BUFFY
And you didn't feel I was important
enough to even tell me you were there.

ANGEL
I'm trying to explain: it's because
I felt you were important that I
didn't tell you.

BUFFY
I'm a big girl now, I'm not in high
school anymore. A lot's happened
since you left...

ANGEL
I know, I respect that.

BUFFY
And I don't need you skulking around
trying to protect me -- you know,
unless I'm in a gigantic fight to the
death like I was last night -- that
was you helping me out there,
wasn't it.

ANGEL
I was in the neighborhood... skulking.

INT. OUTER OFFICE - DAY

Cordy and Doyle.

DOYLE
So that's the Slayer.

CORDELIA
That's our little Buffy.

DOYLE
She looked a little...

CORDELIA
Bulgarian in that outfit?

DOYLE
I was going to say hurt.

CORDELIA
There's a lot of that when they're together.
(gathers up purse)
C'mon.

DOYLE
Where are we going?

CORDELIA
They'll be into this for a while. We
have time for a cappuccino -- and
probably the Director's cut of the
Titanic.

INT. ANGEL'S OFFICE - DAY

ANGEL
I'm sorry if I handled it wrong, what
else was I supposed to do?

BUFFY
I don't know, I just know that when
you're around -- whether I see you or
not -- I feel you. Inside. And it
throws me.

ANGEL
It throws me, too.

BUFFY
So let's just, you know, stick to the
plan, keep our distance until... a
whole lot of time has gone by. I mean
given enough time we should be able to...

ANGEL
...forget.

BUFFY
Yeah.

Beat.

BUFFY
Well, I guess I'll go start forgetting.

She turns to go. That's when:

CRASH - A DEMON smashes through Angel's window and attacks! This is MOHRA. Medieval, samurai-like, some armor on legs and arms, a leather chest piece (that we can cut through), insectoid features; Mohra has a multi-faceted JEWEL imbedded in his forehead, he carries a sword and dagger.

Angel is knocked across his desk. Mohra raises his sword.

BUFFY
Angel!

Mohra stabs and Angel rolls, the blade missing him by inches. Mohra raises his sword to try again, when Buffy unleashes a powerful sidekick, sending the demon hard against the wall, as -

Angel recovers, grabs a throwing axe, lets it fly -

Mohra dodges the axe, which imbeds in the wall, as -

INT. ANGEL'S BUILDING - LOBBY - DAY

Cordy and Doyle are at the door when they HEAR the fighting.

DOYLE
D'you hear that?

CORDELIA
Oh yeah, the Buffy and Angel show:
first they talk out their differences,
then they punch them out.

DOYLE
Shouldn't we --?

CORDELIA
Stick our noses where they don't
belong and get 'em flattened? No
thank you.

And she goes. Doyle, glancing back, reluctantly follows.

INT. ANGEL'S OFFICE - DAY

Angel and Buffy move in on Mohra, whose back is to the wall. He swings his sword in a large arc, forcing them back. Then he raises his sword against Buffy -- but rather than retreat, she steps inside to catch the demon's wrist. She torques it, forcing him to drop his sword. The two of them locked in a test of strength and balance as -

Angel dives beneath the bridge created by Buffy and Mohra - grabbing the sword, then coming up, stabbing the blade deep into Mohra's flank. STRANGELY COLORED, possibly GLOWY BLOOD (CGI) pools around the wound, sluices down the blade, as the Demon ROARS in anger and pain, hurling Buffy into Angel - both of them stumbling onto the floor in a tangle, as -

Mohra leaps back out the window --

Angel and Buffy on the floor, somewhat entwined in each other's arms, faces inches apart. They quickly, and somewhat uncomfortably, disengage, stand. They look towards the broken window where Mohra escaped.

BUFFY
Friend of yours?

ANGEL
Never saw it before.

BUFFY
It was rude -- we should go kill it.

ANGEL
I'm free.

INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY

A CAN OF WHIPPED CREAM sprays a white top on Doyle's iced mocha frappaccino and the SERVER moves off. Cordy sits next to him with a similar frufy cup.

DOYLE
I just asked for a coffee.

Doyle skims or blows off the foamy top, something brown underneath.

DOYLE
Oh, there it is... what is it with
this country, anyway? Everything's
got to be bigger, sweeter, frothier --

CORDELIA
There's a reason we rule the world.

DOYLE
So Buffy and Angel, it's always been pretty...
(mimes fisticuffs)
...volatile?

CORDELIA
That was nothing. One time they
kicked the daylights out of each
other at the mall -- I was too
embarrassed to shop there for, like,
weeks.

DOYLE
It must have been good sometime...

CORDELIA
(shrugs)
At first he was just hanging around
in the shadows, spying on us -- boy,
a lot's changed there, huh? -- I was
seeing someone at the time so I guess
he sort of fixated on her.

DOYLE
And eventually they got together.

CORDELIA
Did they ever, on her seventeenth
birthday. Which kicked in his
"knowing a moment of true happiness"
curse and then it really got ugly.

DOYLE
He went bad, tried to kill her.

CORDELIA
He tried to kill everybody. You
weren't really goin' out much after
dark in those days... then she ran
him through with a sword, sent him to
hell. He popped out four months
later which was like a hundred years
of torment in demon time or
something... his hair's never really
been the same.

DOYLE
And then?

CORDELIA
Then they were on again off again --
you sort of need a score card at this
point -- but finally they broke up
for real last spring. That's when he
took off for L.A. The story thus far.

DOYLE
Great. So what happens now?

INT. SEWER TUNNELS - DAY

Yes, it's dark and creepy down here. Angel, armed with a small fighting ax, and Buffy, with a stake and a knife, hunt Mohra.

ANGEL
It's heading toward the ocean...

BUFFY
You sure?

ANGEL
(looks away)
It's wounded, I can smell its blood.

BUFFY
Oh. Right. Handy skill.

She moves a little in front of him, as they continue the hunt.

BUFFY
Maybe if your crack staff hadn't run
at the first sign of trouble, they
could've done some research, found
out what it was and why it wants to
kill us.

They hear a noise. She turns fast, raising the stake -- Angel watches something skitter away O.S.

ANGEL
Just a rat...
(re: stake poised over his chest)
So you can put that down now.
(she does)
He's not a vampire, I don't know why
you brought that anyway.

BUFFY
Because I know how to use it. This
thing gets you to the ground or in
close, stake's a lot handier than
your fighting ax.

ANGEL
Unless he chops it in two, maybe
takes some of your hand with it.

BUFFY
Can we just get on with the hunting?
I'd kinda like to get home before dark.

ANGEL
I can handle this by myself.

BUFFY
You bailed me out last night.
I'd like us to be even.

ANGEL
We're keeping score now?

She gives him a look, moves off; he follows. They come to a fork in the tunnels. He sniffs the air.

BUFFY
Getting anything? I sure smell sewer.

Angel enters the tunnel on the left, kneels. INSERT - A little bit of the Mohra's translucent blood. Angel dips his finger in it. Angel straightens up, rubbing the blood between his fingers.

BUFFY
So it's tunnel number one...

They move off; down towards the end of the tunnel is a ladder that leads up to a sharp spot of daylight above.

As they approach, Buffy notices Angel is looking down (in the general direction of his hand).

BUFFY
Angel?

He looks up, his brow furrowed.

BUFFY
Are you okay?

ANGEL
I feel weird...

Buffy, grateful for his honesty, starts spilling...

BUFFY
I know... I do, too. I mean I only
came so I could see you face to face
and tell you not to... see me face to
face anymore -- and I know there's a
fly in that logic ointment somewhere --
next thing I know we're being attacked
by that mutant ninja thing, then we're
on the floor on top of each other and I,
you... it's just really confusing being around you.

Beat.

ANGEL
I meant I felt weird from the demon's blood...
(holds up fingers)
...it's powerful...

BUFFY
(humiliated)
Oh. So let's just rewind Buffy's
little outburst and forget it ever
happened.

Now Angel lets down - moving toward her.

ANGEL
No -- it is confusing. When we're
apart it's easier. It hurts -- every
day -- but I live with it. Now
you're right here, and I could
actually reach out and...
(steps even closer)
...it's more than confusing...
it's unbearable.

Buffy feels his nearness - the desire between them building to an excruciating level. Their defenses clearly weakening.

BUFFY
But we have to bear, right? What
else can we do? I mean, it doesn't
work with us, it can't...

ANGEL
No. I can't give you a life or a future
or anything a real girl would want.

Despite their words, they are still drawing nearer to each other...

BUFFY
I know. And no matter how much we
miss each other...

ANGEL
Or what we feel in the moment...

BUFFY
If we let something happen here...

They stop and really think it through. It's not a pretty picture. Buzzkill.

BUFFY
We'd want more. And nothing's
changed. We'd just end up having to
leave each other again.

ANGEL
And that's the best case scenario.

They back away from each other. Buffy's attitude shifting, growing harder...

BUFFY
Great. I was really jonesing for
another heartbreaking sewer talk.

ANGEL
I'm sorry. I-

BUFFY
You know, I'm on the brink of
something back home... I'm actually
heading towards a pretty good life.
Now that...

ANGEL
I'm out of the picture.

Buffy doesn't deny it.

ANGEL
That's why I left. I want you to have--

BUFFY
(cutting him off)
Let's just find this thing and get it
over with.

She moves on, past the ladder; stops, moves back to it.

BUFFY
What if he went up?

ANGEL
Into the day. Where he knows
I can't follow.

BUFFY
(pointed)
But I can.

She starts up the ladder. But Angel stops her.

ANGEL
I don't want you going after him alone.

BUFFY
Look. It's better all around if we
split up -- and I can handle it.

ANGEL
(beat)
There's a dive on Second near Beach,
the Lone Bar, demons go there
sometimes...

BUFFY
Got it.

ANGEL
Be careful.

And she disappears up the ladder into the light. Angel stands there for a beat, a little spun from their encounter.

INT. TUNNELS - LATER

Angel moves through the tunnel -- or out into the wide part of our set -- he passes CAMERA deep in Buffy thought, we find TWO DEMON EYES, watching him in the dark.

ANGEL - HEARS the sword swishing through the air before he sees anything. He ducks, pivots, throwing up his hand, which the sword slashes.

Angel rolls, howling in pain and COMES UP IN VAMP FACE.

Angel uses the fighting ax to block and parry Mohra's sword and dagger. It's a deadly fight. Angel nearly takes Mohra's head off with the ax, but Mohra ducks it... and cuts it in half with his sword.

Then there's much ass kicking, culminating with Angel sinking Mohra's own dagger into Mohra's chest up to the hilt, glowy Mohra blood flowing onto Angel's cut hand.

Mohra drops to the ground, very dead. Angel DE-MORPHS.

Angel looks at the palm of his hand. As Mohra's blood mixes with his, we C.G.I. a swirl of light and energy, it knocks Angel back into a wall... he falls to his knees... CAMERA RUSHES at him as all sound DROPS OUT... all sound except for a steadily BEATING HEART.

Angel looks at his hand, then feels his newly beating heart. And utters, in a harsh shocked whisper:

ANGEL
I'm alive...

BLACK OUT

END OF ACT ONE

Act Two

INT. ANGEL'S INNER OFFICE - DAY

Doyle and Cor cautiously peer in, see the broken window, the upturned furniture, the signs of a big fight.

DOYLE
Whoah, when they fight...

Cordy sees something in the corner that alarms her -- a pile of dust. She leans down, examining it:

CORDELIA
Oh my god...

DOYLE
What?

CORDELIA
She killed him. SHE KILLED HIM!
(then:)
Ooops, my bad, that's just dust I
forgot to sweep under the rug.

DOYLE
Are you trying to give me a heart
attack?

CORDELIA
Hey, don't blame me if he's too cheap
to hire a cleaning lady.

They HEAR the door opening in the outer office. They move into it as Angel walks in. He looks a little wide-eyed, like someone on mushrooms.

He just stares at them for a beat.

CORDELIA
What's wrong, what happened? Did you
do it with Buffy?

Doyle moves to him, studying his eyes and face, getting what's happening as:

CORDELIA
Watch it, Doyle, don't get too
close! -- hey, you walked in the
front door, from the street...
you've --

ANGEL
Yeah.

CORDELIA
-- got an umbrella!

DOYLE
He's alive, Cordelia.

Angel walks into a patch of sunlight, slowly turning, staring at his arms and hands (a not-bloody cut on the palm of his hand where the sword got him), taking it all in.

CORDELIA
Alive?

ANGEL
Buffy and I were attacked by some
kind of demon. I tracked it and
killed it. Some of its blood mixed
with mine and...

DOYLE
(feeling Angel's wrist)
You wound up with a pulse.

ANGEL
(to Doyle)
I want to find out what kind of demon
that was...
(twists his body)
Ow. My back. It hurts...
everything's...

DOYLE
More real. Now that you're real.

CORDELIA
Hey, this is just like the time Oz
brought you that magic ring and you
could go out in the sun and --

ANGEL
This is different. I'm mortal now. I
have a mortal body. And...

He suddenly grabs his stomach.

ANGEL
I'm so hungry.

Angel moves fast towards Cordelia. She jumps behind Doyle.

CORDELIA
Look out! He's going to eat --

Angel rips open the fridge, starts eating everything in sight. Bites an apple, rips open a pop tart, tears into a sandwich, under:

CORDELIA
-- everything in sight.

ANGEL
Oh my God, food... this is
unbelievable. This is so...
mrhhhrr... I forgot how good it all
tastes when you're alive.

CORDELIA
And they didn't have cookie dough
fudge mint chip in your day.

ANGEL
Oh I want that. Can you get some?

CORDELIA
Sure, but it'll go straight to your thighs.

ANGEL
Chocolate... chocolate!

Angel devours as:

DOYLE
All right, we need to focus, try and
figure out --

ANGEL
I love chocolate --
(takes first bite of yogurt)
-- but not, as it turns out, yogurt.
Yeuhhgg.

DOYLE
Orson, we're in a situation here.

Angel drops the food, straightens up. Composes himself.

ANGEL
I know. You're right... Let me
think... And now my stomach's killing me.
(shakes it off, then:)
Cordelia, find Buffy, she's in Santa
Monica, probably near the Lone Bar.
Tell her I killed the demon.

CORDELIA
Okay.

Cordy heads for the door.

ANGEL
Cordelia...
(Cor turns)
Don't tell her what's happened to me.
Not until I know what it means.

TIME DISSOLVE TO:

INT. ANGEL'S INNER OFFICE - MINUTES LATER

CLOSE ON A WOODCUT ENGRAVING resembling the demon Angel killed. WIDEN to reveal Doyle and Angel hovering over an old tome (the Book of Kelsor) --

ANGEL
That's it.

DOYLE
It's called a Mohra Demon. They're
pretty powerful assassins, Soldiers
of Darkness kind of thing...
(to Angel)
...they take out Warriors for our
side, like you and Buffy...
(reading)
"needs vast quantities of salt to
live..."

ANGEL
It was heading towards salt water...

DOYLE
(reads)
"...veins run with the blood of
eternity..."
(as Angel processes)
There it is, its blood has
regenerative properties.

ANGEL
Which explains what happened to me.
Doesn't explain why...

Doyle shuts the book definitively.

DOYLE
What difference does it make? The
demon's dead. You're alive. It's
Happy Fun Time, man.

ANGEL
(point blank)
What's going on here, Doyle?

Doyle hesitates, troubled.

DOYLE
I don't know... I thought the only
way you could be made mortal was if
the Powers That Be stepped in.

ANGEL
They could have done this? How come
I keep getting the feeling that
you're not telling me everything?

DOYLE
Because I'm not... we're both on a
need to know basis here...

ANGEL
Well, I need to know about this. Is it
permanent, am I a normal Joe now, can
I have a normal life? I want to speak
to the Powers That Be.

DOYLE
Whoah, whoah, that's easier said than
done, bud. The Powers That Be don't
live in our reality. You have to
approach them through channels.
Dangerous channels.

ANGEL
(an order)
Start approaching.

DOYLE
All right, all right... maybe we
could try the Oracles. But they
turn you into a toad, don't say I
didn't warn you.

FLASH CUT:

INT. CAVE/TEMPLE - ANTE-CHAMBER - DAY

A ROBED AND HOODED figure (face obscured beneath the cowl), lantern in hand, leads Angel and Doyle (who carries a small bag) down the LAST FEW STONE STEPS (think dungeon).

He unlocks an iron gate at the bottom of the steps. Angel and Doyle enter the ante-chamber. The figure waits stoically. Doyle clears his throat. Angel digs out some bills, hands them to the figure, who heads back up the stairs. From beneath his robe a slinky, rat-like tail protrudes.

DOYLE
Thanks, Reg-Vahl, we won't be long...
(to Angel)
Nice tail, huh?

Doyle approaches a bird-bath sized bowl (full of ashes from prior supplicants) in front of a stone archway. The archway is carved into the cave wall and the space between the arches is smooth, solid stone. As Doyle removes various herbs from his bag, placing them in the stone bowl in front of the arch, Angel gazes at some Greek lettering near the arch.

ANGEL
The "Gateway For Lost Souls"...
(looks to ceiling)
...is under the post office?

DOYLE
Makes sense, you think about it. Now,
the Oracles are finicky and
unpredictable -- if you do get in
don't dilly-dally, ask your questions
and get out.

ANGEL
Aren't you coming?

DOYLE
Not allowed, I'm just a lowly
messenger -- you're a warrior. If your
heart is pure and I do this right...
(chants)
"We beseech access to the knowing
ones..."

Doyle pulls out a barbecue lighter, lowers it towards the bowl.

DOYLE
...we may just survive...

WHOOSH! Multi-colored flame shoots up from the bowl. Followed by a HUGE BLAST of PRACTICAL AND C.G.I. LIGHT.

Angel and Doyle stagger back. Doyle looks to the archway -- what once was solid stone is now an arched doorway of solid light.

DOYLE
You're in.

Angel looks at Doyle, then walks through THE BLINDING LIGHT IN THE ARCHWAY into:

INT. CAVE/TEMPLE - DAY

Like the ante-chamber, only bigger. Angel walks through the blinding light and finds THE ORACLES: a brother/sister team, they could be twins -- dark blue robes, draped to show a lot of skin, golden and painted with unique patterns (think Darth Maul only not evil), and they have bright blue eyes (contacts). The blinding light conveniently goes away.

BROTHER AND SISTER (IN UNISON)
Come before us...

Angel approaches, cautiously.

SISTER
What have you brought us?

ANGEL
Was I supposed to --

BROTHER
You call us forth and bring no
offering?

Angel sees Sister looking at his wrist. He removes his watch.

ANGEL
I brought you this.

She holds out her hand. The watch flies from his hand to hers.

SISTER
I like time... there's so little and
so much of it.

She slips the watch into the top of her robe.

BROTHER
(to Angel)
Well?

ANGEL
What's happened to me?

They move closer, hold their hands over his head and body. They exchange a look.

SISTER
It's true then, Brother --

BROTHER
He's no longer a warrior.

ANGEL
It was the demon's blood, it wasn't
the Powers That Be that did this?

Brother flashes angry:

BROTHER
The Powers That Be? Did you save
humanity, avert the Apocalypse?

SISTER
You faced a Mohra demon -- life goes on.

ANGEL
My life, as a human? I'm not
poisoned or under some spell?

SISTER
(holds out hand as if to listen:)
The auguries say no. If it has
happened, it was meant to be.

BROTHER
From this day you will live and die
as any mortal man --

SISTER
-- privy to all the attendant pains
and pleasures.

BROTHER
That which we serve is no longer that
which you serve: you are released
from your fealty.

ANGEL
That's it? I'm free?

Brother waves his hand -- another FLASH OF BLINDING LIGHT and:

INT. CAVE/TEMPLE - ANTE-CHAMBER - DAY

Angel is BLASTED back through it WALL OF LIGHT, nearly knocking Doyle over.

DOYLE
Angel -- it didn't work.

ANGEL
Yes it did.

Angel looks back at the archway -- solid stone again.

DOYLE
You just went in this instant.

ANGEL
What?

DOYLE
Look at your watch.

ANGEL
I can't do that, Doyle -- next time
remind me to bring a gift.

DOYLE
Knew I forgot something. So what
happened, what'd they say?

ANGEL
They're a little confusing, but the
gist is, it's real. I'm free.

DOYLE
I can't believe this.

ANGEL
Me either. I mean what do I do now?
I've got a whole new life spread out
before me. I don't know where to begin.

DOYLE
Right, it's overwhelming. You can
pretty much do whatever you want now
so, the question is: what do you want?

CUT TO:

EXT. PALISADES PARK - DAY - BUFFY

WALKS ALONG THE PARK, the ocean and pier behind her. A beautiful, sunny day (we hope). Couples and tourists stroll and roller-blade, the ferris wheel rolls on the pier in b.g. Big daily life -- which Buffy moves through without noting, on her mission, her face a little grim.

Then she stops, sensing something. She turns. A long ways away she sees something, a FIGURE stepping out of the dark. (This could be from a trellised bit of garden we build, dark shady trees, a subway, etc.) Angel is a dark figure stepping into the light and the people.

Buffy watches, in disbelief as:

Angel moves towards her, closing the distance between them, his eyes never leaving hers.

Closer and closer...

Until he's upon her and sweeping her into his arms and her disbelief is replaced by something else -- years of longing -- they don't speak, they just kiss as though there were no tomorrow.

Off them...

BLACK OUT.

END OF ACT TWO

Continue on to Part Two

I Will Remember You

Part 2

(September 29, 1999)

Written by: David Greenwalt & Jeannine Renshaw

Act Three

INT. ANGEL'S OFFICE - DAY

THE MANTLE CLOCK - on Angel's desk reads 5:03. Seconds tick away as the camera RISES... taking in the window to:

INT. OUTER OFFICE - DAY

Doyle watches as Cordelia plucks dead leaves off of a sorry-looking potted plant.

CORDELIA
This plant was thriving just this
morning -- now look at it -- I'm
telling you, where she leads, dark
forces follow.

DOYLE
Buffy gave it mites?

CORDELIA
How else do you explain it?

DOYLE
Jealousy?

CORDELIA
I'm jealous of her? Oh please, just
because she gets all the attention,
killing ugly demons and saving the
world, basically unscathed... while
I always seem to end up with a re-bar
through my torso and really bad
hair...

DOYLE
Just a theory.

CORDELIA
Jealous or not, our lives are about
to kaleidoscope.

DOYLE
How do you figure? Angel's only been
human a day.

CORDELIA
The last two and a half hours of
which they've spent down there in his
apartment together.

DOYLE
So? Don't they deserve a little
happiness after all they've been
through?

CORDELIA
Let me explain the lore here, okay?
They suffer, they fight, that's
business as usual. They get groiny
with one another, the world as we
know it falls apart.

DOYLE
He's not cursed anymore and anyway,
you can't be sure they're --

CORDELIA
Oh right. They've got the forbidden
love of all time, they've been apart
for months, now he's suddenly
human -- I'm sure they're just down
there having tea and crackers.

Off Doyle,

CUT TO:

INT. ANGEL'S APARTMENT - KITCHEN - DAY

A STATIC FRAME: Angel and Buffy at the table. Chastely having tea and crackers. A long beat. Angel picks up the teapot --

ANGEL
Would you like some more...

BUFFY
No thank you.

He sets the pot down. Suddenly:

ANGEL
I'm really sorry I kissed you like that.

BUFFY
You are?

ANGEL
Not for the kiss itself --

BUFFY
(cutting him off)
Oh. Good. 'Cause, as kisses go - I
though it was well above average.

ANGEL
It was incredible. It's just... I
think maybe we'd be asking for
trouble, rushing back into things.
(quickly)
Not that I don't want to. Rush. I
do, believe me...

Buffy takes this in. Nods. He's talking sense.

BUFFY
Right. I mean, okay, you talked to
the Orcas--

ANGEL
Oracles.

BUFFY
--they say you're cured for good.
How do we know for sure they speak
for the powers? They could be
pranksters.

ANGEL
Or there could be another loop hole-

BUFFY
Exactly. Then the two of us are in
even deeper and it's GRRRR all over
again.

ANGEL
It would be smart to wait a while.
See if this mortal thing takes...

BUFFY
And even if it does - it's still
complicated.

ANGEL
(nods)
You're still the Slayer. And I'm not
sure what I am now. I don't know
what my purpose it...

BUFFY
(helpfully)
Xander's talking about starting an
internet company. Plus he has an
extra cot in his basement.
(off his look)
Kidding.

ANGEL
But that's what I mean. I can't just
wedge myself into your life back in
Sunnydale. It wouldn't be good for
either of us. Not to mention the
fact that you just started college.
(then)
And what about slaying? If you had
me to worry about you might not be as
focused.

Buffy takes this all in - saddened by the truth in it.

BUFFY
Are you going to pull a pie chart out
now? Because it's not necessary. I
think I got it.

ANGEL
(emphatic)
I'm not saying I don't want you,
Buffy. You know how much... I'm
just saying - it's worth the wait to
know it's right. I need to be sure
you won't get hurt again.

Buffy nods. Smiles sadly.

BUFFY
(wryly)
Good thing I didn't fantasize about
you turning human about ten zillion
times - 'cause today would have been
a real let down.

Buffy drains her cup. Gets up and moves to the sink.

BUFFY
So, how does the mature plan go? I
call you. You call me? Or what?

Angel follows with his mug.

ANGEL
We stay in touch. Just not-

BUFFY
Literally. Funny.
(then)
Then I guess I'd better...

ANGEL
Right. Remove the temptation.

Buffy offers her hand for a no-nonsense shake.

BUFFY
Okay. We'll talk soon.

They touch hands. And that's it. Angel pulls her into his arms and everything they've held back suddenly lets loose in frantic, passionate kisses. They grab at each other's clothing, feeling their way toward bare skin...

After a moment, Angel lifts Buffy up to wrap her legs around his waist and then pushes her back onto THE TABLE - which he clears with a sweep of his arm. Plates and teapot fly... We move off them as their MOANS of pleasure offer a distinct contrast to the--

INT. TUNNELS - DAY

--sound of a rusty wall pipe as it DRIPS out a constant rhythm on the ground. TILT UP to find... the lifeless Mohra demon, the dagger protruding from a crusty chest wound. Suddenly GLOWING RED EYES open... It's very much alive.

EXT. ANGEL'S APARTMENT - DAY TO NIGHT - STOCK

FLASHY CUT, show his building, a little time passing...

INT. ANGEL'S APARTMENT - KITCHEN - NIGHT

Angel's at the fridge, his naked body obscured by the door.

BUFFY (O.S.)
And peanut butter... preferably
crunchy.

ANGEL
Got it.

Arms full of food, he shoulder bumps the fridge shut. PULL BACK to take in the kitchen table, now broken on the ground, one leg askew. Angel passes behind, into--

INT. ANGEL'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - NIGHT

We FOLLOW... past the wake of what it took to get from there to here, tossed clothes... a toppled lamp...

Buffy waits in bed, both her and the bedding nicely rumpled. Tastefully sheet-draped, she sits up as Angel places a bowl of grapes, a gallon of ice cream and a jar of peanut butter on the bed... she eats a couple of grapes. They're giddy with the love.

BUFFY
A perfect yum.

He hands her a spoon.

BUFFY
This is a dream... you're human for
like a minute and already there's
cookie dough fudge mint chip in the
fridge.

ANGEL
God I love food.

BUFFY
Food is so good.

She reaches in the container and pulls out a Ben & Jerry's size chocolate chip, dips it in the peanut butter. Feeds it to Angel.

ANGEL
Why didn't you tell me about
chocolate and peanut butter?

BUFFY
I figured if your vamp taste buds
couldn't really savor it - it would
only hurt you to know.

He feeds her a bite of ice cream.

BUFFY
By the way -- I'm over the needing to
be mature part. That time you spent
in the kitchen just now... that was
enough time apart.

ANGEL
Too much.

Angel accidentally drops some ice cream from his spoon to his chest.

ANGEL
Okay. Mortal coordination leaving
something to be desired.

Buffy gets a devilish look in her eye. Stops his hand before he can remove the ice cream from his person.

BUFFY
Wrong. That was just right.

Buffy starts to lick the ice cream off of him...

INT. BAR - NIGHT

Cordelia sits sulking, a Coke in front of her. Doyle with a margarita.

CORDELIA
Things were going so well. We were
starting to build a clientele,
establish a reputation.
Evil was practically coming out of
our ears. Then he has to go and get
all human on us.

DOYLE
You might try and be happy for him.

CORDELIA
I am, I'm happy for him, it's just...
I'm out of a job!

DOYLE
Hey, not just you, you know.

CORDELIA
Oh, please. Who are you kidding?
You know you're glad this happened.

DOYLE
I'm glad for Angel. And... if that
means I'm off the hook with The
Powers That Be as well -- all the
better. I'll finally be free to go
out and make my own mark on the world.

CORDELIA
We had a cat that used to do that.
We had him fixed.
(then)
Oh, god. What am I going to do? I'm
good for exactly two things:
international super stardom or
assisting a vampire-with-a-soul rid
the world of evil. Makes for a short
but colorful resume.

DOYLE
Well, whatever happens from here on
out at least I can say goodbye to the
bone crushing, head wrenching, mind
numbing visions... OWWW!

WHAM! Cordy barely has time to steady him as CAMERA ROCKETS at Doyle. A FLASH OF WHITE and we're in--

INT. TUNNELS - NIGHT - DOYLE'S VISION

The wounded Mohra stirs... lifts one arm... yanks the dagger free from his chest. The wound oozes with the creature's translucent blood as it (CGI) heals completely.

Mohra stands, LOW AND WIDE ANGLE: we see he's much bigger and stronger than ever.

(PRODUCTION NOTE: Bigger actor for MOHRA NUMBER TWO)

A piercing Samurai YELL brings us back to --

INT. BAR - NIGHT

Doyle MOANS, still very much in the vision. Cordelia hovers over him.

CORDELIA
Doyle... take it easy, what do you
see... ?

And we're back in:

EXT. SALINE PLANT - NIGHT - DOYLE'S VISION

A long, cement corridor, walls lined with a maze of pipes. Along one side a long ladder stretches floor to ceiling. THE MOHRA climbs it.

INT. BAR - NIGHT

Doyle's collapsed, head on the bar, nearly unconscious. Then-

DOYLE - lifts his head, still dazed.

DOYLE
We got trouble.

INT. ANGEL'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - NIGHT

In bed. Angel on his back, Buffy nestled in the crook of his arm. Both happily spent.

BUFFY
That's a good sound...
(a la' his heart)
Thump-thump, thump-thump...

ANGEL
Feels pretty amazing.

He brushes her hair from her face. They gaze at each other tenderly.

BUFFY
I'm so glad we didn't logic ourselves
out of this. I mean, we'll make it
work - right?

ANGEL
We will.

And he really appears convinced. Content with that - Buffy snuggles deeper into his embrace. Her eyelids dip - then open again...

BUFFY
I'm so sleepy, but I still want...

ANGEL
(a tad alarmed)
What? You couldn't possibly... Not
that I wouldn't-

BUFFY
(gets it)
Oh, no. I'm spent. Pleasantly numb,
even. Are you?

ANGEL
For now.

They both smile. Relax again.

BUFFY
No - I just want to stay awake so our
day can keep happening.

ANGEL
It's okay. Sleep. We'll make
another one like it tomorrow.

Buffy takes this in, moved.

BUFFY
Angel. This is the first time I've
ever really felt this way...

ANGEL
What way?

BUFFY
Just - the way I've always wanted to.
Like a normal girl. Falling asleep
in the arms of her normal boyfriend.
(then)
It's perfect.

She smiles, closes her eyes. Lets herself drift.

TIME DISSOLVE:

INT. ANGEL'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - A LITTLE LATER

Buffy's asleep, a look of deep contentment on her face. Angel watches, savoring each breath, more completely in love than ever. A distant NOISE breaks his reverie. He looks over.

INT. ANGEL'S APARTMENT - STAIRWAY - NIGHT

Doyle, nervous and out of breath, treads down as Angel approaches in his robe.

DOYLE
That Mohra demon regenerated more
than you.

ANGEL
What?

DOYLE
I had a vision -- it's regenerated
itself.

ANGEL
Where?

DOYLE
In the tunnel where you fought it.
Then it was in some sort of factory,
I thought I tasted salt... but it
could've been the margarita.

ANGEL
It needs a lot of salt to live...

DOYLE
Well it was very much alive in the
vision... and angry, if I might
mention.

ANGEL
(matter of fact)
Then I'll have to kill it again.

DOYLE
But... you're human now. They
released you --

ANGEL
You want to let that thing roam free?
(beat)
You saw it in a factory... there's a
saline plant in Redondo. We'll start
there.

DOYLE
But if it can regenerate, how can you
kill it?

ANGEL
We'll figure it out -- grab the Book
of Kelsor. You'll read, I'll drive.

He grabs some clothes from the floor, notices Doyle hasn't budged.

ANGEL
Doyle?

DOYLE
Ummm... I think maybe we ought to
bring someone a little...
(glance to Buffy)
Supernatural?

Angel follows his look to the bed... Buffy sleeps peacefully.

DOYLE
Don't you wanna wake the girl?

ANGEL
Not for the world.

EXT. SALINE PLANT - NIGHT

HIGH ANGLE - Doyle and Angel enter from top of frame, their voices ECHO slightly.

DOYLE
(reading)
Okay... this is not good... it
doesn't just come back, it comes back
bigger and stronger...

BELOW - Doyle reads from the "Book of Kelsor". They cautiously proceed, armed heavily.

DOYLE
I think we should go back and get Buffy.

ANGEL
I know what I'm doing.

But Doyle looks less than reassured as they continue into the darkness, unaware that--

TWO GLOWING EYES - Watch.

DOYLE
But this is not your average demon
we're fighting here. It nearly
licked you before, and now you're
mortal...

ANGEL
And if this is going to work with me
and Buffy I have to be able to do
this on my own. I can't risk her life
every time some Minion of Hell --
(impatient)
Just tell me how to kill it.

DOYLE
(re: book)
"Regenerates until... dark future it
envisions is upon us..." Okay, here--
"To slay the beast one must bring
darkness to the thousand eyes..."

Under which -- GLOWING RED EYES continue to track them.

ANGEL
Funny, I only saw two.

DOYLE
Keep up the glib, it's making me feel
we have a chance here...

Angel suddenly stops him with an outstretched arm. We follow his eye line to--

DEAD FACTORY WORKERS slumped against the wall. They're dead -- and bloody.

ON ANGEL

Reeling. Knocked for a loop, nauseous at the sight.

DOYLE
Easy, mate...

ANGEL
The blood...

DOYLE
Never an easy sight... part of being
human now.

Doyle tries to pull him away. Angel won't let him.

ANGEL
(rising anger)
I'm going to kill this thing.

He continues on, determined. Doyle follows, as--

ANGLE DOWN FROM ABOVE - Watching their approach... camera SHIFTS slightly, catching part of a shoulder, then the back of a head... which tells us we're in the MOHRA'S POV... and our guys are now directly--

BELOW

DOYLE
Just remember it's brutal and deadly
and...

A sound draws his attention up to--

THE RAILINGS ABOVE

DOYLE
...here!

The Mohra demon releases from the railings -- arms outstretched, it rushes towards them in all its spiked glory.

REVERSE - It rushes towards us. And as it blacks out the frame...

BLACK OUT.

END OF ACT THREE

Act Four

EXT. SALINE PLANT - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS)

Angel raises his sword, but before he can bring it down, Mohra lashes out with a hard backhand that spins Angel around. Mohra follows through with a punch that sends Angel sprawling to the ground. He looks up at the demon, shaken by blossoming pain. As Angel struggles to his feet -

A BANSHEE SCREAM heralds Doyle's headlong charge. Mohra sidekicks Doyle, who flies twenty feet.

Angel attacks Mohra with whatever he's got left - but Mohra easily parries, then punches Angel, staggering him. Angel is dazed but still standing, as Mohra unleashes a powerful offensive. Angel staggers back, avoiding only half the blows thrown by Mohra. Angel, weakened by being human, is getting his ass kicked.

Angel retreats around a corner, Mohra following --

INT. ANGEL'S OFFICE - NIGHT

Cordelia is tagging pink post-its on various pieces of office furniture, computer equipment, etc.

BUFFY (O.S.)
Angel?

ANGLE ADJUSTS to include Buffy rounding the corner, rubbing sleep from her eyes, disappointed when she sees:

BUFFY
Cordelia.

Cordelia holds up a double-headed axe.

CORDELIA
Is this antique?

BUFFY
(quickly)
Byzantine. Where's Angel?

Cordelia shrugs. As Buffy searches the otherwise empty office with dawning concern...

CORDELIA
I decided not to feel sorry for myself.
I'm taking matters into my own
hands, organizing a little going-out-of-
business sale to subsidize the
severance package Angel never
bothered setting up for me.

Under which Buffy returns to Cordelia.

BUFFY
Did he leave a message about where he
went?

CORDELIA
You know, I'm in some real pain here,
and all you can do is talk about
Angel. Has it even occurred to you how
this whole turning-human-thing might
affect me?

BUFFY
Regrettably, no.

Buffy reads Cordy's silence: she's covering.

BUFFY
Look, if you know where he is, tell me.

CORDELIA
I can't.

BUFFY
Can't or won't.

CORDELIA
He told me not to tell you.

BUFFY
Is he in trouble?

Cordelia hesitates.

BUFFY
What are we, in second grade here?
Just tell me.

CORDELIA
Oh, you want to talk about being
mature? Maybe it's time you grew up
and realized you can't have
everything. You can't have Angel and
save the world, and anyway it's your
fault he went to fight that thing by
himself without --

Cordelia stops short, realizes she's said too much.

BUFFY
What "thing"?
(then, imploring)
Cordelia. Please.

Cordelia considers. But not for long.

CORDELIA
That demon Angel thought he killed?
Well he didn't.

EXT. SALINE PLANT - NIGHT

Angel heads around a corner -

-when Mohra's hand grabs Angel's shoulder, yanking him out of frame, as -

ANOTHER ANGLE

Angel is thrown onto the ground. Finds himself looking up at Mohra - who kicks Angel across the asphalt. Angel scrabbles backward -

Mohra unholsters a SPIKED MACE from his armor. He swings, bringing it down on Angel, who raises his arms to cover -- lets out a blood-curdling SCREAM as the heavy iron ball breaks his arm.

Mohra raises the mace again - but this time Angel rolls. Mohra is a relentless warrior. Angel dodges and ducks the lethal trajectory of the mace. Like a wrecking ball, it dislodges chunks of brick and cement. Another strike sends Angel to the ground. He lands atop a large trap door of thick planks...

Mohra raises the mace to deliver the death blow. At the last moment, Angel rolls his head away. The mace misses by inches -- connecting instead with the floor, which cracks and shatters, sending Angel and Mohra FALLING THROUGH the splintering maw into...

INT. SALT CHAMBER - CONTINUOUS

Angel hits the ground hard amidst the tumbling debris. Salt crystals cover the room...

Angel groans painfully, barely manages to push himself up on all fours -- when Mohra boot-stomps Angel, collapses him, sends him sprawled flat on the ground, barely conscious.

MOHRA
Yours is a sacred death ushering in
the beginning of a sacred time. The
End of Days has begun and cannot be
stopped. For any one of us who falls,
ten shall rise --

Buffy flies down from above, leg locking Mohra around the neck and diving down into a tuck-and-roll, body slamming him into the floor, knocking his sword free. She pops to her feet, grabs his sword.

She eyeballs Mohra as he rises as well -- and boy is she pissed:

BUFFY
You hurt my boyfriend.

MOHRA
A great darkness is coming --

BUFFY
You got that right.

She hits him real hard. He staggers back. She lunges at him, he catches the blade with his mace chain, pulling the sword from Buffy's hands. But Buffy uses the momentum to wind into a spinning kick which rocks Mohra back on his heels.

BUFFY
Come on! This is the great warrior
of darkness?

Buffy drives the giant demon back with a hard combo of punches and kicks. Mohra loses his weapon, staggers under the force of Buffy's relentless attack. But he catches one of her punches in his giant hand and throws her hard against the wall. He presses his advantage, punishing Buffy with blow after blow.

MOHRA
Together you were powerful. Alone
you're dead.

ANGEL

marshals whatever strength he's got left. He hoists himself up onto his feet, and moves to help Buffy.

Mohra slams Buffy again.

MOHRA
What do you think of the great
warrior now?

ANGEL (O.S.)
A little bland...

Mohra stops, turns. ANGLE TO INCLUDE Angel approaching, bloody and broken and valiant...

ANGEL
...needs salt.

Angel throws a handful of salt into the demon's face. Mohra roars in pain, covers his eyes. Angel starts toward Buffy, but Mohra grabs him and throws him hard against the salt-crusted wall. Angel tries but can't get up. He watches helplessly as Mohra resumes battering Buffy. Then Angel reacts to something he sees...

ANGEL
(mutters)
The thousand eyes...

ANGEL'S POV - THE JEWEL (SLIGHT OVERCRANK)

embedded in Mohra's angry brow. Its facets catch the light, reflect it in a thousand points.

RESUME

Mohra comes down hard on Buffy, who catches her fall on one knee. Mohra draws a pair of short sickle blades from his armor. He advances toward Buffy, as Angel calls to her with parched urgency --

ANGEL
The jewel in his forehead!

Buffy looks past Mohra at Angel.

ANGEL
You have to smash the jewel --

Buffy looks up just as Mohra swings the blade toward her head. She rolls, comes up holding the mace.

Like David before Goliath, Buffy slings the mace, sends it flying into Mohra's brow.

The demon clutches his head, howls in agony. LIGHT BURSTS forth from the hole which held the jewel, intensifying until it consumes the demon in a painful supernova.

In the sudden stillness, Buffy moves to Angel, helps him to his feet. He is in pain and fairly breathless, inhaling deep lungfulls of air.

ANGEL
Buffy... are you...

BUFFY
Don't talk.

Buffy wraps herself around him, steadying him as she holds him close.

BUFFY
You're all right. That's all that
matters. It's over and you're all
right and we're together...

Angel holds Buffy -- but there is lingering concern etched on both their faces. As we DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. CITY - NIGHT TO MORNING - STOCK

A flashy kind of thing takes us from night to morning.

INT. CAVE - INNER ORACLE CHAMBER - EARLY MORNING

Angel bears his still-fresh battle wounds, his arm in a sling, though he is burdened by the weight of a deeper wound. He stands before the Oracles (who seem irritated at the intrusion) having just entered through the wall of light.

BROTHER
You again?

SISTER
What have you --

Angel tosses a small vase at her -- she catches it.

ANGEL
A famille rose vase, from the Ching
Dynasty... circa 1811.

SISTER
(pleased)
Lovely.

BROTHER
Why are you here?

ANGEL
The Mohra demon said the End of Days
had begun. That others were coming,
the Soldiers of Darkness...

Angel regards the Oracles expectantly.

ANGEL
I need to know if he was telling the
truth.

BROTHER
As far as such things can be told.

ANGEL
What happens to the Slayer when these
Soldiers come?

SISTER
What happens to all mortal beings --
albeit sooner in her case.

ANGEL
She'll die...
(humbly)
Then I am here to beg for her life...

BROTHER
It is not our place to grant life and
death.

ANGEL
...and to ask you to take mine back.
I can't protect her or anyone this
way, not as a man.

SISTER
You're asking to be what you were, a
demon with a soul? Because of the
Slayer?

Angel nods.

BROTHER
This is a matter of love, it does not
concern us.

ANGEL
Yes it does: the Mohra demon came to
take a Warrior from your cause -- and
it succeeded. I am no good to you
like this. I know you have it in your
power to make this right... please...

Brother and Sister exchange a look.

BROTHER
What's done can not be undone.

SISTER
But what is not yet done... can be
avoided.

BROTHER
Temporal folds are not to indulge the
whims of lower beings.

SISTER
You are wrong.
(Brother looks at her)
This one is willing to sacrifice
every drop of human happiness and
love he has ever known for another...
He is not a lower being.

Beat. Brother turns to Angel.

BROTHER
There is one way... it is not to be
undertaken lightly.

SISTER
We swallow this day, as though it
never happened. Twenty-four hours
from the moment the demon first
attacked you, we take it back.

ANGEL
Then none of this happened. Buffy
and I... But what'll stop us from
doing the exact same thing?

SISTER
You. You alone will carry the memory
of this day.

A beat, as Angel realizes the kind of pain they're talking about.

SISTER
Can you carry that burden?

EXT. ANGEL'S OFFICE - MORNING - STOCK

The street hums with early morning traffic.

INT. ANGEL'S APARTMENT - DAY

A clock in his apartment -- not the mantel clock upstairs -- reads: 8:57. Buffy paces, her face etched with worry. A sound turns her around. Angel heads downstairs. He can only look at her, silent and pained.

BUFFY
I'm guessing that expression isn't
because they were all out of fresh OJ
down at the deli...
(anxiously)
What happened, Angel?

ANGEL
Nothing happened... I just...

BUFFY
Where have you been?

ANGEL
I went to see the Oracles.
(with difficulty)
I asked them to turn me back.

BUFFY
(stunned)
What? Why?

Angel moves to Buffy. She's reeling.

ANGEL
Because more than ever - I know how
much I love you -

BUFFY
Oh - no, you didn't-

ANGEL
-and if I stay mortal, one of us will
wind up dead. Maybe both of us. You
heard what Mohra said.

BUFFY
But Mohra's gone. We killed him.

ANGEL
He said others would come.

BUFFY
They always come! And they always
will. But that's my problem now, not
yours - remember?

ANGEL
No. I won't just stand by and let
you fight, maybe die, alone.

BUFFY
(emphatic)
Then we fight together-

ANGEL
Buffy. You saw what happened last
night. If anything, I'm a liability
to you. You take chances to protect
me. And that's not just bad for
you - it's bad for the people we were
meant to help.

Buffy takes this in. It's true but she can't admit it.

BUFFY
So, what, you took a whole 24 hours
to weigh the ups and downs of being
a regular Joe and decided it was more
fun being a super hero?

ANGEL
You know that's not it... How can we
be together if the cost is your life?
Or the lives of others?

Buffy's hard expression crumbles. Her heart breaking all over again as she realizes he's right. Finally-

BUFFY
Angel...

He moves to her. Takes her into his arms, breathes her in.

ANGEL
I couldn't tell you. I wasn't sure
I could do it if I woke up with you
one more morning.

They cling tightly, desperate for each other.

BUFFY
I know. I... I understand.
(with dread)
What happens now?

ANGEL
The Oracles are giving us back the
day. Turning back time so I can kill
Mohra before his blood makes me
mortal.

BUFFY
When?

Angel looks at the clock. It's nine o'clock. The second hand races around the face.

ANGEL
Another minute.

BUFFY
(desperate)
A minute? No, that's not enough time-

ANGEL
We don't have a choice. It's done.

Buffy tries to absorb this. Then-

BUFFY
How am I supposed to go on with my
life knowing what we had, what we
could've...

Angel's expression grows even darker.

ANGEL
You won't. No one will know but me.

BUFFY
But...

ANGEL
It never happened.

She moves to him, quietly frantic, lost.

BUFFY
It did! I know it did!

She embraces him clumsily, needily, eyes wet.

BUFFY
I felt your heart beat.

ANGEL
Buffy...

He, too, is near tears. They kiss with deepest longing.

ANGLE - A second hand. Sweeping toward 12 in extreme close-up.

They keep their faces close, unable to be an inch apart.

BUFFY
Oh, God. There's not enough time.

ANGEL
Shhh, please, please.

BUFFY
(a breathless mantra)
I'll never forget... I'll never
forget...I'll never forget... I'll
never forget...

And they are eclipsed by a WHITE FRAME. After a long, echoing silence...

BUFFY'S VOICE
So let's just, you know, stick to the plan...

As the blown-out frame resolves and we are:

INT. ANGEL'S OFFICE - DAY (24 HOURS EARLIER)

Everything is as it was before... except for Angel, who's fairly rattled as he listens to Buffy's resolute farewell.

BUFFY
Keep our distance until... a whole
lot of time has gone by. I mean
given enough time we should be able
to...

ANGEL
...forget.

The word hits Angel hard.

BUFFY
Well, I guess I'll go start forgetting.

Angel watches her leave -- but only for a moment. He picks up the clock. Hefting it as he looks expectantly at the now-intact window, when:

CRASH! Mohra smashes through and attacks. But Angel is prepared. Mohra raises his dagger. But this time Angel is armed with the clock, which he smashes against the demon's brow. The jewel shatters and Mohra is swallowed by a brilliant burst of light.

Buffy stands there, taken aback by Angel's display.

BUFFY
That was... unreal. How did you know
how to kill it?

ANGEL
(shrugs)
It's a Mohra Demon.
(off her lingering curiosity)
I, um... I've had a lot of time to
catch up on my reading.

Buffy half-nods at his half-baked explanation. An awkward beat. She's looking a little less certain about leaving so quickly.

BUFFY
So. Okay. I guess we covered it, right?

ANGEL
I guess we did.

BUFFY
And - that's really all there is to say.

As much as he wants her to stay, Angel can only agree.

ANGEL
Yeah. That's it.

Buffy takes this in, nods. Heads for the door. As soon as she turns, Angel's face betrays his pain at losing the loving girl he held in his arms only moments ago.

Angel's gaze shifts to the clock on the floor. The glass face is cracked, the hands stuck forever at 9:02. He looks back up, but Buffy is already gone.

BLACK OUT.

THE END