Redefinition

Part 1

(November 13, 2000)

Written by: Mere Smith

Teaser

Previously on… Angel locks the lawyers in the basement in Episode 10. Flashes of Drusilla and Darla and their death-orgy in the clothing store. Ending with Angel telling the gang: "You're fired."

FADE IN:

EXT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - NIGHT

CORDELIA, WESLEY, and GUNN stand outside of Angel's hotel. Cor and Wes each carry a box with their stuff inside. We play them just standing there, looking stunned, for a LONG, SILENT BEAT. Then -

CORDELIA
What just happened? Can someone
explain to me what just happened
here?

WESLEY
I believe we were fired.

GUNN
Canned.

WESLEY
Let go.

GUNN
Axed.

WESLEY
Shown the door.

GUNN
Booted.

CORDELIA
All right! I get it.
(beat)
But what just happened?

Gunn and Wesley exchange a look.

GUNN
(re: Wes's box)
You got a thesaurus in there?

CORDELIA
Fired? Angel fired us?

WESLEY
Looks that way.

CORDELIA
I can't believe this. I gave him
the best months of my life -

WESLEY
Let's keep a level head, shall we?
Angel's not been himself lately.
Perhaps he'll change his mind.

GUNN
He locked twenty lawyers in a
room with a couple of psychotic
vampires.
(beat)
I'd say his mind's changed enough.

CORDELIA
(pissed)
Darla. It's all about Darla. One thing
you can say about Angel, at least he's
consistent - it's always some little
blonde driving him over the edge.
(then)
What are we supposed to do now?

GUNN
I think I'll grab a burrito before I
head home.
(off their look)
What?

WESLEY
(covering)
No, no - by all means, if you're hungry…

But Gunn gets the gist.

GUNN
Hey, this was a side gig for me. The
extra cash was nice while it lasted, but
Angel wants to go all Commando?
No skin off my nose.

CORDELIA
Well, my nose skin is angry. And
hurt. And -

WESLEY
Disappointed?

We see it's true. Wes struggles to make sense out of this.

WESLEY
I won't pretend to understand Angel's
reasons. But maybe he needs to be
alone right now. And the best thing
we can do for him is… to let him be.

CORDELIA
Alone.

Wes nods. A beat. Then we go HIGH AND WIDE, to see three people, moving off in three different directions…

INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - BASEMENT - NIGHT

ANGEL

Is moving boxes around the room, clearing a space. Taking one particular BOX, he moves to the INCINERATOR. Drops the box on the floor, takes a sheaf of pages from the top.

He swings open the incinerator door, the light of the flames playing on his features. He looks down at the papers -

ANGEL'S POV - They are his Darla sketches. (not, however, the big-lipped picture of Darla from Ep 7, please.) Darla smiling up from the page, her image dancing in the firelight.

BACK ON ANGEL, as he looks at the sketch for a moment longer, then throws the whole stack into the incinerator.

ANGLE FROM INSIDE THE INCINERATOR - We see Angel's face through the flames, as he watches the pages burn, dispassionately. He slams the incinerator door shut, which takes us to -

BLACK OUT

END OF TEASER

Act One

EXT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - NIGHT

To establish…

INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - BASEMENT - NIGHT

ANGLE ON PIPES

As Angel's head comes UP into frame above the pipes, then disappears DOWN again. UP into frame, then DOWN and OUT again. We PULL BACK to REVEAL Angel doing pull-ups on the basement pipes.

From this master shot, we can see that Angel has transformed the basement into an all-out training area. A heavy bag is hung up, targets placed along the wall, a weapons cabinet has been moved in… it's a warrior's dream villa.

Using DISSOLVES and DIFFERENT ANGLES, we SEE Angel doing the following things: pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups. Throwing knives at the wall-targets. Practicing with his ratchet-stakes. Beating on the heavy bag. And under this whole sequence, we hear:

ANGEL (V.O.)
I'm not ready yet, not strong enough.
Too many years spent sleeping in soft
beds, living in a world I don't belong
to. I can't fight them like this. And
Wolfram and Hart knew that.

We PUSH IN on Angel and the heavy bag - his face a mask of feral concentration as he lands blow after blow after blow.

ANGEL (V.O.)
They took two of my biggest
mistakes and used them against me.
Darla. Drusilla. I can't take them,
not together. Not yet.

Angel does an elaborate combination, then KICKS the heavy bag as hard as he can. The bag swings around as Angel steps back, watches.

ANGEL (V.O.)
I can do better.

INT. HOLLAND'S HOUSE - WINE CELLAR - NIGHT

A BLOODY HAND

Lies limp on the floor. We PAN ALONG the arm, finding it attached to a DEAD BODY. We KEEP PANNING, to find another DEAD BODY… and another… and another… until we come to rest on TWO BODIES, one on top of the other.

We PUSH IN on the bottom corpse to find an EYE, closed, almost obscured. And suddenly… IT OPENS. It blinks once, twice, looks around - then rolls around almost maniacally -

We PULL BACK as the bodies begin to move. Slowly at first, then more frantic, as LINDSEY MACDONALD crawls out from under the corpse on top of him. Finally, free of the body, he sits in the middle of the floor - too wiped out to move any further.

Lindsey has a large BRUISE on his jaw, there are SCRATCH-MARKS all over his neck, and his lower lip is SPLIT. We ARC UP, UP ABOVE HIM, coming to rest in a GOD-SHOT that shows us:

Lindsey, sitting, surrounded by fifteen corpses.

INT. HOLLAND'S HOUSE - WINE CELLAR - NIGHT (TIME CUT)

CLOSE ON LINDSEY

His eyes dead. Face a mess. Other people's blood spattered across his cheeks. Shirt smeared with blood.

We PULL BACK to reveal that it is now some time later; Lindsey stands against a wall while PARAMEDICS and guys from the CORONER'S OFFICE are zipping up corpses into black body bags. COPS swarm. An EMT comes up to Lindsey -

EMT
Really, sir. You should be in a
hospital.

LINDSEY
She saved me.

EMT
(uh… right.)
That… may be true. Sir. But you
should still be checked out by a -

LINDSEY
There has to be a reason. I'm the
only one left.

EMT
(kinder)
You're in shock. You need to see a
doctor.

LINDSEY
I'm the only one.

Suddenly a commotion breaks out on the far side of the room.

CORONER GUY (O.S.)
Hey, we got a live one here!

The EMT turns away from Lindsey, rushes across the room. Lindsey steps away from the wall, bewildered. He watches -

LINDSEY'S POV - as the Coroner Guy and the EMT pull a WOMAN out from under another dead body.

LINDSEY
We do?

CLOSE ON LINDSEY, as he realizes that the Woman is… LILAH MORGAN.

LINDSEY
(whiny)
Lilah?

He forces himself to choke out:

LINDSEY
Oh, thank God.

INT. WESLEY'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

VIRGINIA BRYCE faces Wes.

VIRGINIA
He fired you?
(Wes nods)
He can't do that, you're on a mission
to protect the innocent. You can't
fire someone on a mission. What did
he say exactly?

WESLEY
"You're fired."

VIRGINIA
Oh. Can you file a grievance with the union?

WESLEY
Virginia, I'm not in a union, I'm a… I
don't even know what the name of my
job is.

VIRGINIA
You're a renowned specialist in supernatural
aid and rescue.

WESLEY
No, I'm just a…
(buoyed)
"renowned," really?

VIRGINIA
To me you are, you saved my life.
And you should be in a union. My
father always used union conjurers.

WESLEY
I didn't know that.

VIRGINIA
The wizard community's very
progressive.

WESLEY
Your father tried to sacrifice you to
the Goddess Yeska.

VIRGINIA
One of the many reasons I'll never
talk to him again - although I am healing
now thanks to a lot of therapy and the
gigantic trust fund.
(suddenly)
You know what it is, he's jealous.

WESLEY
Your father.

VIRGINIA
Angel. He's jealous 'cause you had to
impersonate him in order to rescue me.
You were too good an Angel.

WESLEY
I don't think so. He fired Cordy and
Gunn, too, the lot of us.

VIRGINIA
All of you? Why?

WESLEY
It has to do with Darla being made a
vampire again and hooking up with
Drusilla… the three of them have a
very tangled past. My guess is he'll
be hunting them down and he doesn't
want anyone in his way.

VIRGINIA
Well his loss will be the world's gain.
You'll get another job like that.
(snaps fingers; beat)
What else can you do?

WESLEY
Not much, most of my life I was raised
to be one thing, a Watcher.

VIRGINIA
You're one up on me, I was raised to
be a spoiled socialite. So, a watcher…
that sounds interesting - it's not some
kind of Peeping Tom thing, is it?

WESLEY
No. there's a council of Watchers in
England. We're trained to guide and
watch over the Slayer.

VIRGINIA
There you go. So you just sign up with
them.

WESLEY
Actually, they fired me before I came to
work for Angel.
(beat)
It's not like I'm always fired… there was
the fish 'n chips shop, I quit them on
principle. They never changed the oil.

VIRGINIA
Old oil, that's just wrong.

He half-smiles at that, then:

WESLEY
The thing is, I don't know what I
should be doing, what my place is,
you know?

VIRGINIA
Yeah, I guess we're sort of in the same
boat. At least we have that.
(beat)
Think you might go back to England?

WESLEY
No.

VIRGINIA
(puts her head on his shoulder)
Then we have that, too.

Off the two of them,

INT. CORDELIA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Cordy sits on her couch, mid-rant.

CORDELIA
And how am I supposed to find another
job? I mean, sure, I can audition 'til
my tongue falls out, but day jobs?
Hello? What do I put on my resume?
"I can type 40 words a minute and, oh,
by the way, I once killed an empath
demon with a Tak horn?"

Cordy gets up, starts walking around the living room. As she stands, the open TV GUIDE-type magazine, perched on the corner of the coffee table, suddenly SLIDES to the middle of the table all by itself. Cor doesn't see this.

CORDELIA
And what about the visions? Do the
Powers That Be even realize I've been
fired? Just taking a wild stab in the
dark here, but I'm betting they don't
have a severance package. And what
if they keep sending 'em? I'm gonna
have these flashes of poor, suffering
people I can do nothing about for the
rest of my life. God! Talk about your downers.
(then)
Angel is so selfish. He gets the urge
to play Greta Garbo and Wesley and I
have to file for unemployment.

Suddenly the TV clicks on. Cordy looks at it, then up into thin air.

CORDELIA
(sarcastic)
Oh, I'm sorry, Dennis. Is my pain
boring you?
(beat)
You dead guys are so insensitive.

She stomps off to her bedroom. The TV starts flipping channels -- Dennis, channel-surfing.

INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - BASEMENT - NIGHT

A SWORD

Glistens in the low light of the basement. We SEE Angel, doing some Wing Chun sword exercises (Mr. Vendrell, I know you can help me on this one). As Angel goes through the smooth, clean motions -

ANGEL (V.O.)
Wolfram and Hart. They sit in their
tall glass towers - removed from the
reality of their manipulations. The life
or death consequences. It's a game to
them, won and lost at a distance.
(beat)
I don't have that luxury. This is a fight,
like any other, fought closely, hand to
hand. And like any fight, one that can
be lost in an instant.

Suddenly Angel drops the sword and lashes out, and does the elaborate combination he performed at the top of the act, ending with him KICKING the heavy bag with all his strength - only this time, the bag SHOOTS OFF ITS RING, FLIES across the room, SLAMS into the wall, before dropping to the floor.

Angel stands there, looking at the bag.

ANGEL
Better.
(beat)
But I'm not on their level.

INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - ANGEL'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Angel (now in his long COAT) stands at the door. He looks around the room one last time, then exits, closing the door behind him.

INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - LOBBY - NIGHT

Angel descends the stairs, focused, intent. He walks over to the basement door, out of sight - and then the LIGHTS go off in the lobby.

INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - BASEMENT - NIGHT

Angel comes downstairs. Walks over to the sewer access grate. Lifts it. Stares down into the darkness below. A beat.

ANGEL (V.O.)
I'm not on their level. But I can get there.

Then he climbs down, into the sewers.

INT. SEWER TUNNEL - NIGHT

Angel walks away from camera, disappearing down the black tunnel.

ANGEL (V.O.)
And when I do, I'll be right up close.
I'll bring the fight to them.

BLACK OUT

END OF ACT ONE

Act Two

EXT. WOLFRAM AND HART - DAY (STOCK)

To establish…

INT. WOLFRAM AND HART - HALLWAY - DAY

Lindsey, cleaned up now, but still battered, stands at the reception desk, speaks to the SECRETARY:

LINDSEY
No messages? You're sure?

The Secretary shakes her head, a look of pity on her face.

LINDSEY
Thanks, anyway.

Lilah walks up. She, too, is bearing the marks of the slaughter: a GASH on her cheek, a BANDAGE near her hairline. Her arm is in a SLING.

LILAH
You getting the big freeze out, too?

LINDSEY
(acknowledging)
Lilah.

He turns to walk away. Lilah follows. They do a walk-and-talk down the hallway.

LILAH
What's wrong, Lindsey? Bitter because
your girlfriend didn't slit my throat?

LINDSEY
"Bitter" might be overstating it.
More like "bummed."

LILAH
Sorry to disappoint.
(then)
I take it I'm not the only one feeling
the lack of empathy around here?

They pass a LAWYER and his hulking bruiser of a VAMPIRE client, who can't help but stare at the battle-scarred pair.

LINDSEY
(to the lawyer)
What are you looking at?

The Lawyer looks away, ushers Vampire quickly down the hall.

LILAH
No phone calls, no flowers - if I were
the nervous type, I'd be nervous.
As it is, I'm just pissed.

LINDSEY
What do you expect? We're the only
survivors of a massacre. It's natural
we'd be under suspicion.

LILAH
Yeah, well, you know what I don't
like about suspicion?

She stops. Lindsey turns to look at her.

LILAH
The part where they find us two weeks
from now, dead in some freak "accident."

They reach the elevator. Lindsey hits the call button. The doors open, they enter.

LINDSEY
We did nothing wrong.

Lilah just stares at him.

LILAH
I'm sorry, have we met? Because I
work for Wolfram and Hart. Responsibility
has nothing to do with this. If they're
looking for a scapegoat, we might as
well grow horns and start eating garbage.

LINDSEY
(losing it, loudly)
A scapegoat? They're the ones who -

Lilah grabs his arm, looks around meaningfully: "They can hear you." She pulls at him, with a look that says, "Keep walking." They walk out of frame and round the corner.

INT. WOLFRAM AND HART - HALLWAY OUTSIDE LINDSEY'S OFFICE - DAY

LINDSEY
(more calmly)
They're the ones who wanted Drusilla
brought in. I was only following orders.

LILAH
And you honestly think that matters.

They reach his office door. He inserts his key.

LILAH
Fine. Indulge your denial. But don't
doubt for a minute, Lindsey - someone's
gonna pay. And we're the only ones left.

INT. WOLFRAM & HART - LINDSEY'S OFFICE - DAY

They both stop dead in their tracks, staring at something we can't see.

LINDSEY
(spellbound)
Not the only ones.

REVERSE ANGLE to see DARLA sitting on Lindsey's desk, smiling. DRUSILLA sits in his chair.

DARLA
Lindsey. I've missed you. Close
the door.

Neither Lindsey or Lilah moves. Darla smiles.

DARLA
Sweetpea, if we wanted you dead,
you'd never have made it out of the
wine cellar. Now close the door.

Another beat, then Lindsey closes the door.

DRUSILLA
He's got cow-eyes, big and black…
moooooooo…

LINDSEY
(almost to himself)
You spared me.

Lindsey steps forward, quiet - speaking only to Darla.

LINDSEY
Why did you spare me?

DARLA
(softly)
Do you really have to ask?

Lindsey stands there, can't take his eyes off her. Darla gets off the desk, moves to Lindsey, brushing past a nervous Lilah. Right up next to him. Almost kissing him.

DARLA
I'm in love with you.

A beat. Then Darla and Dru burst out LAUGHING. Now Lilah joins in - any excuse to gang up with a winning side. As Lilah laughs -

DARLA
(abruptly)
Shut up, Lilah.

Lilah shuts up. Darla looks them both over.

DARLA
Well, look at you two. What pretty scars.

LINDSEY
You've put us in a difficult position, Darla.

DARLA
Have I? Smart young lawyers, hungry
for their big break - and whoops! The
boss gets eaten. Somebody's gotta step
up. Someone promising, pretty, with
questionable ethics, and $1200 suits
that look good on the 6 o'clock news.

LILAH
(getting it)
You think they'll promote him.

DARLA
Or you. I couldn't decide. The PC
flacks are so gaga over female executives
these days.
(then)
In any case, that's why you're here.
I've decided to… keep the line of
communication open between us and
Wolfram and Hart.

LINDSEY
What for?

DARLA
I like how you operate. The structure
of it, the resources, all your little plans.
I believe we can help each other.

LINDSEY
I don't think I understand. What exactly
do you want?

DARLA
(simply)
Power.
(beat)
You see, Lindsey - during my stint as
Wolfram and Hart's puppet, something
occurred to me: I loathe being used.
If I recall, I sent you a 15 body memo
to that effect.
(then)
We plan to be big players in this town,
Dru and I. And while you can't give me
what I want, you might have the things
I need to get it. Money. Connections.

LILAH
We're not much use if we're dead, Darla.
The senior partners are looking for
someone to blame for your massacre.

A beat, as Darla takes that in.

DARLA
But surely they wouldn't kill both of
you? Seems like a waste.
(then, untroubled)
Well, I suppose whoever's left standing
will be our liaison.

Lindsey and Lilah exchange a look.

LINDSEY
Liaison to what?

DARLA
The world above, of course. In the mean
time, we'll focus on the world below.

LINDSEY
And this power you want, does it have
a target? Are you going after Ang-

DARLA
(cutting him off, tense)
Don't. Say it.
(relaxing a little)
Not everything is about Angel, Lindsey.
I just wanna have some fun.

LINDSEY
I'm surprised. I would've thought he
was your tip priority.

DARLA
(thin smile)
I spent two hundred and fifty years
without Angel. You think just because
I went through a little "human" phase,
I'd go all gooey?

LINDSEY
No. I thought you'd kill him.

Darla smiles. She jabs him with:

DARLA
All in good time, my love. All in good time.

INT. SEWER TUNNEL - NIGHT

We're LOW TO THE GROUND, looking up - at a SHADY FIGURE crouched on the pipes above us. It looks as though the figure is wearing a cape, but as we ARM UP, we see that this dark presence is actually ANGEL, his long coat hanging down around him. We PUSH IN on his face, closer and closer, until we're in ECU of his EYES. When the camera stops, we hear:

VAMPIRE #1 (O.S.)
They were just waiting for us!

ANGEL'S POV - a group of FOUR VAMPIRES, making their way down the sewer tunnel, on a bloodhigh. They've just fed.

VAMPIRE #1
Generally, I don't like to hit the fast
food places - the people taste all greasy -
but this was -

ANGLE ON ANGEL, as he DIVES from his position on the pipes - straight at the Vamps. The only SOUND is his coat, rustling in the wind.

ANGLE ON VAMP #1

VAMPIRE #1
-- like Christmas!

WHOMP! Angel dive-tackles Vamp #1, bringing him to the ground. He's just about to drive a stake through the Vamp's heart when he catches a boot to the head, courtesy of Vamp #2. Angel rolls with it, stands -

And finds himself in the middle of a circle of four Vampires.

Then, quick as lightning, Angel merely steps to the closest Vamp and RATCHET-STAKES him. He DUSTS onscreen.

ANGLE ON the other Vamps, surprised and pissed. They ATTACK.

The fighting is fast and furious - and these Vamps don't suck at the fisticuffs. Punches and kicks abound - it seems as though Angel's almost evenly matched - until one of the Vamps grabs the tail of Angel's long COAT, and uses it to SLAM him into a wall.

Enraged, Angel pushes himself off the wall and BACKFLIPS over the Vamp that held his coat, landing behind him. Angel immediately STAKES him. We HEAR the Vamp DUST (offscreen), as the two remaining Vamps jump Angel.

Trading blows with the duo, eventually Angel tucks his shoulder down and DRIVES Vamp #3 into one of the sewer walls - we hear some CRUNCHING noises; but wheter it's the wall or the Vamp's ribs, we never find out, because Angel STAKES him with his second RATCHET STAKE. He DUSTS (onscreen).

Looking up, Angel sees Vamp #1 high-tailing it down the sewer tunnel, throwing glances behind him. Angel takes off after him, moving at an inhuman speed. Eventually he tackles the Vamp, driving him to the ground. He rolls the Vamp over, straddling him, PUNCHES him viciously in the face three or four times, then reaches up over his shoulder, into his coat, pulling out a SHORT SWORD -

TIGHT ON ANGEL - as he swings the sword down, decapitating the Vamp. (Possibly a little blood spatter on Angel's face?) We HEAR the Vamp DUST (offscreen). Angel sits there for a beat.

ANGEL (V.O.)
I'm ready.

BACK TO THE WIDE - Angel stands. He looks down at his coat, lifts the tail, examines it. Another beat, then Angel takes off the coat, drops it on the sewer floor.

ANGEL
I've got the moves. Now I need to
know what theirs are.

He walks away. As he disappears, the ominous music SWELLS.

INT. CARITAS - NIGHT

…CRASHING into the upbeat music of "Lady Marmalade." (Or, as the rest of us know it, "Voulez-Vous Couchez Avec Moi.") The HOST sings on stage. We're with him for a while - (in fact, let's just film and record him doing the whole song so we have options.)

HOST
Voulez-vous couchez avec moi ce soir?/
Voulez-vous couches avec moi?/
Seeing her skin feeling silky smooth/
Color of café au lait/
Made the savage beast inside/
Roar until it cried more, more, more/
Now he's home doing 9 to 5/
Living his brave life of lies/
But when he turns off to sleep/
Old memories keep/
More, more, more…

ANGLE ON WESLEY, just coming in. He takes in the Host, moves to the bar, speaks to the BARTENDER.

WESLEY
A Bloody Mary, please.

BARTENDER
You want real blood with that?

WESLEY
Uh… no. Bloodless. Thanks.

The Bartender moves away to fix his drink. Wes turns his eyes back to the stage, where the Host finishes the song with a big flourish. BIG APPLAUSE.

HOST
Thank you, thank you. Whew. Nobody
sings it like Patti, God Bless her.
(takes a sip of his drink; to crowd,
re: applause)
Ahhh, go on. Don't make me come
out there.

BACK ON WESLEY, who takes a deep breath, exhales.

WESLEY
Steady on, Wesley. Perhaps something
by Cat Stevens.

BARTENDER (O.S.)
Your drink, sir.

Wes turns, gets his drink.

WESLEY
Ah, thank you.

As he turns back around, he comes face to face with Cordelia.

WESLEY
Gahh!

CORDELIA
Wesley?

WESLEY
(flustered)
Cordelia - how… odd to see you.

CORDELIA
What are you doing here?

WESLEY
Me? I just… came in for a drink.

CORDELIA
Ah. Because only demon karaoke
bars serve those.
(beat, accusing)
You were gonna sing.

WESLEY
Sing? Oh dear Lord, no. I was merely -
what are you doing here?

Now it's Cordelia's turn to be embarrassed.

CORDELIA
Oh, I was… in the neighborhood.

WESLEY
You live fifteen miles away.

CORDELIA
Well, you know L.A. It's all one really…
big… neighborhood.

WESLEY
I see. Come to find your destiny, have
you? And who was going to help you
with that?

CORDELIA
(admitting)
Shania Twain. Or Madonna. I
hadn't decided.

They both pause, awkward.

WESLEY
I suppose we're both rather at loose
ends, now that Angel's…

CORDELIA
Pulled a total wig?

WESLEY
Quite.

Another awkward pause.

WESLEY
I must admit, I'm somewhat embarrassed.

GUNN (O.S.)
How do you think I feel?

Cor and Wes turn to find Gunn standing there, sheepish.

CORDELIA
Gunn! What are you -
(realizing)
What happened to, "This was just a
side gig?"

GUNN
Hey, I got a rep to maintain - can't
have y'all seeing through my brusque
and macho exterior.

CORDELIA
(dryly)
Oh, heavens forfend.

Wes leans in to Gunn, conspiratorial.

WESLEY
So I'll assume it's not Madonna - but
what song were you going to sing?

Gunn just looks at him.

GUNN
You don't know it.

Wes leans back, with an "Ohhhkay, then" face.

CORDELIA
Well, I, for one, would just like to
point out the patheticness that is us.
Goodbye A-Team, hello Suck Team.
(beat)
This is all Angel's fault. I hope he's
happy now, all alone in his demon
world with no one to talk to.

We PUSH PAST the gang to find MERL (the demon informant from Episode 1) sitting at the bar. He tosses back the last of his drink, then stands and exits.

EXT. STREET #1 - NIGHT

Merl walks down the sidewalk, hands stuffed in his pockets. As he gets to the corner, he steps off the curb to cross the street -

INSERT - A pair of HANDS shoots out of the drainage-ditch opening on the curb, grabbing Merl around the ankles.

Merl is yanked backwards off his feet, landing with a painful CRUNCH on his chest and face. As he's dragged toward the drainage-ditch, he claws at the street, trying to stop himself.

MERL
Help! Somebody help me! Hel-

But one last YANK and he's pulled INTO the drainage-ditch, and out of sight. We PUSH IN on the empty ditch, and SEE a little stream of WATER trickling into the opening. We HEAR the slight BURBLING NOISE it makes, which carries over into -

INT. SEWER TUNNEL #2 - NIGHT

-- the BURBLING NOISE Merl is making, his UPSIDE-DOWN head submerged underwater. We're TIGHT ON MERL as he's suddenly lifted straight up, out of the water, and he gasps for air --

MERL
I'm tellin' you, man, I don't -

SPLASH! His head goes back underwater.

We WIDEN TO REVEAL that Angel is crouched on the side of the sewer, holding a ROPE that's thrown over a PIPE on the ceiling, then tied to Merl's ankles.

Merl's hands have been tied behind his back, and Angel is currently dunking him, upside-down, in the two feet of water that runs the length of the tunnel.

After a beat, Angel yanks the rope again, and Merl's head comes out of the water. Merl splutters and coughs.

MERL
This how you get your rocks off, ya sick -

SPLASH! Down he goes again. We hold on Angel for a long, long, LONG BEAT, as he stares impassively at Merl's twitching body. Finally, when we just can't stand it anymore, Angel pulls the rope again, lifting Merl out.

MERL
All right! All right!

Angel holds the rope, waiting.

MERL
(deep breath)
I heard about your girls - Godzilla,
Darcilla, whatever. They been hittin'
all the underground hotspots, lookin'
for demons to join some… crew they're
runnin'. That's all I know, man, I swear.

SPLASH! Merl goes under again. A beat, then Angel hauls him up. Merl gasps.

MERL
God, you're testy.

His head dips again -

MERL
Joke! Joke!

Angel waits.

MERL
Okay. You didn't hear this from me,
but - you know that little Bar and Bite
Club off La Cienega and Washington?
It's one of the only demon haunts they
ain't been to.

A beat, as Angel stares at Merl. Then Angel stands, ties the rope to a PIPE on the wall, leaving Merl there, dangling. He walks away, as Merl yells at his departing back -

MERL
Hey! You're gonna cut me down, right?
You're not just gonna leave me - hey! Hey!

But Angel is gone. Merl stares after him, openmouthed. Then -

MERL
(to himself)
Freakin' vampires.

Off Merl, struggling with his bonds -

INT. WAREHOUSE - NIGHT

CLOSE ON A VAMPIRE

Getting CLOCKED in the face. We PULL BACK to REVEAL that it is not, in fact, Angel doing the clocking. It's some DEMON WITH OVERSIZED (BUT NOT FUNNY. POSSIBLY CAULIFLOWER-LIKE) EARS, duking it out with the Vampire amidst a horde (well, 15 or so) of cheering MONSTERS - demons, vampires, and the like. Imagine "Fight Club" for the otherworldly.

They stand in a dusty warehouse, packed to the brim with wooden crates and boxes, as Demon and Vampire beat the snot out of each other. (P.S. In one of the crowd shots, we SEE a VAMPIRE [in VAMPFACE] IN A HOODED COAT. This is ANGEL, but we shouldn't reveal that just yet.)

The Demon kicks the living shit out of the Vampire. Finally gets the Vampire in a choke-hold, and sinks to the ground. After a moment, the Vamp knocks on the floor, and the Demon lets go - his buddies cheering. Just then we hear loud, insistent CLAPPING, and -

DARLA AND DRUSILLA

Appear at the edge of the crowd, gliding to the center of the circle. Darla is clapping.

DARLA
Wow. That was… something. But
violence without victims? See, that's
where you lose me.

The pointy-eared Demon steps forward.

DEMON
Who the hell're you?

Darla addresses the crowd:

DARLA
My name is Darla, and this is Drusilla.
We're new in town, though some of
you may know us by reputation.

The Demon advances on Darla, who isn't looking at him.

DEMON
I ain't ever heard of ya.

Just then, Dru appears behind the Demon and TEARS HIS EARS RIGHT OFF HIS HEAD. He drops to his knees, howling in pain. Darla doesn't even look.

DARLA
(cheerfully)
And now you never will.
(then, to the crowd)
I trust we have everyone's attention?
(then)
Good. We've come with a little proposition…

We SCAN the faces of the crowd, listening raptly - and right there, in the second row back, we see the VAMPIRE IN THE HOODED COAT… who, we now REVEAL… is ANGEL.

BLACK OUT

END OF ACT TWO

Continue on to Part Two

Redefinition

Part 2

(November 13, 2000)

Written by: Mere Smith

Act Three

INT. WAREHOUSE - NIGHT

Right where we left off. Darla is giving her pitch to the assorted monsters.

DARLA
Me and my girl - we're not just the
new thing in town, we're the only thing
in town. And we're in the market for
some… well, one doesn't really want
to use the term "muscular slaves"…
(then)
Actually, one does…

ANGLE ON ANGEL IN VAMPFACE, slipping discreetly to the back of the group.

ANGLE ON DRU, who cocks her head, as if listening to something only she can hear.

DARLA
Unfortunately for most of you, we're
only looking for the best. Those creatures
who not only excel at devestation, but
revel in it. Our crusade is one of
malevolent joy -

DRUSILLA
(dreamily)
Eyes like needles…
(then, more alert, looking around)
Eyes like needles…

Darla turns to Dru, irritated.

DARLA
Dru, I'm trying to work here.

DRUSILLA
(realizing)
He sees you, sees what you were.
(slowly)
You'll never be alone again.

DARLA
(immediately, quiet)
Stop.

Darla's eyes cloud over with pain.

DARLA
Just… don't.

DRUSILLA
He's watching you, my sweet.
(looking around the room)
Right now.

TIGHT ON DARLA - as she whips around to face the crowd. In spite of herself, her eyes are full of hope. Her voice almost breaks -

DARLA
Angel?

ANGLE ON ANGEL, as he slips behind a Demon.

DRUSILLA
He wants to punish us… he thinks
we've been naughty…

Darla pushes through the crowd rapidly.

ANGEL'S POV - Seeing Darla come closer, the look of intensity, the pain on her face.

But when she gets to where Angel last stood, he is nowhere to be found. She walks back to the center of the room.

DRUSILLA
He remembers when you were warm…

DARLA
(viciously)
Shut up, Drusilla.

She takes a moment. Composes herself, before turning to the crowd again.

DARLA
As I was saying: if you think you've
got what it takes to join us, auditions
are tonight.

She pulls out a CARD, holds it out.

DARLA
Here, at this address. Winners will
have the opportunity to foment mass
destruction. Losers will be gutted and
left for dead. Have a nice night.

She tosses the CARD to the floor, then grabs Dru's arm.

DARLA
Come on.

They march off towards the door, Darla practically dragging Dru along.

EXT. ALLEY #1 - NIGHT

Angel flops back against a brick wall, shaken. He DE-MORPHS into human face, then touches his forehead, as if to make sure he's done it. Drops his hand.

ANGEL (V.O.)
I'm not ready.

INSERT - A FLASH of DARLA from the previous scene, turning around, calling, "Angel?"

BACK ON ANGEL - He turns, hands against the wall, and rests his head against the brick.

ANGEL (V.O.)
I can still feel her. Her pain, her need.
Her hope. I'm too close.

He pushes off from the wall. Stands in the alley, head down. A beat. Then he raises his head -

ANGEL (V.O.)
I'm too close to fight her.

INT. WOLFRAM AND HART - LINDSEY'S OFFICE - NIGHT

Lindsey in his shirt sleeves, packs up his briefcase for the night. Looks tired. He moves to the small ante-room of his office, grabs his suit coat that's hanging there, slips it on, shrugs into it, picks up his briefcase, turns and reacts as he sees -

LILAH

Standing there just inside the now-open door, framed by the light of the hallway. She's a statue. A look of quiet panic on her face. It's eerie.

LINDSEY
Lilah?

No response. He takes a step closer.

LINDSEY
Did something happen?

Finally:

LILAH
I can't do it anymore, Lindsey -

LINDSEY
Do what?

LILAH
The waiting.

She paces. Admits it all.

LILAH
I'm sitting in my office. And every
noise… everytime the phone rings…

She shudders, then turns to him, looks him in the eye.

LILAH
One of us is going to die, Lindsey.

LINDSEY
Everybody dies.

LILAH
But not everybody ends up in a dog
food processing plant in San Pedro.

LINDSEY
May not happen to you, Lilah. You've
got a fifty percent chance of surviving
this thing just like I do.

LILAH
It's not good enough.
(then)
There's a way out of this.

LINDSEY
How?

LILAH
We don't wait for them to choose one
of us - we choose each other, instead.

He looks at her, not sure what she means.

LILAH
If we stick together, we can beat them.

She moves closer to him. Intimately.

LILAH
We could leave. You and me. Tonight.
They'd have no choice at all -

LINDSEY
No choice except to hunt us down.
Which they would.

LILAH
No. Not if we took files. As insurance.

LINDSEY
Take files?

LILAH
Yes…

A long beat, then finally she drops all pretense.

LILAH
Look, I've heard the rumors. We both
know it worked for you once before.
You knew just what to take. And this
time you won't have to assume any
of the risk. You just tell me which
files to steal, and I'll get them.
Then we can get out of here. And
this mess - together. Are you in?

She's very close now. We can almost feel her breath on him. He reaches for her. His hand running up her side - and now moving toward her cleavage. Nice. Suddenly, his good hand zips into her shirt - and comes out with a tiny microphone. The woman's wired.

LINDSEY
(into mike)
But Lilah, I would never steal files
from my employer. I'm shocked at
the suggestion.

She drops the act, snatches the mike out of his hand. He turns, picks up his briefcase. As he moves past her to the door -

LINDSEY
Forget the frame job, sweetheart.
They're gonna kill whoever they're
gonna kill.
(as he goes)
Take it like a man.

INT. CARITAS - NIGHT

Cor, Wes, and Gunn sit around a table, drinking. They've obviously had a few already.

CORDELIA
But see? That's what I'm saying.
If Wesley hadn't been all shaking-his-
finger and no-no-no, maybe this whole
Darla thing would have just… you
know, blown over.

WESLEY
Blown over? Angel is obsessed with
Darla. Obsessions don't just… blow over.

CORDELIA
Well, you certainly didn't help things
by making him feel guilty about it.
You shamed him into firing us.

WESLEY
You're blaming this on me?

CORDELIA
I'm not blaming - yes I'm blaming
you. You get the blame.

GUNN
I don't know - if I had to listen to you
two, day in, day out - snipe snipe snipe,
bitch bitch bitch… I figure ya'll got
off easy. I woulda killed you.

CORDELIA
Oh, that's rich, coming from Mr.
I-Don't-Take-Orders-Now-Where-
Can-I-Stick-My-Axe.

GUNN
What's that supposed to mean?

WESLEY
Well, Gunn, you've never been very
supportive of Angel's leadership role.
I seem to recall a certain shroud…

GUNN
Hold up - you tellin' me this is my fault?

WESLEY
How can a man run a business when
his employees won't follow directives?

GUNN
Was one of his directives "Hire pansy
ass British guy?"

WESLEY
My ass is not pansy!

The Host moves in. The gang doesn't even look up.

HOST
Can I have someone bring you kids
another round?

CORDY, WES, AND GUNN
Yes!

The Host raises an eyebrow, moves off.

GUNN
(re: Cordy)
And what about her? Maybe if she'd
had a few more visions, Angel woulda
been too distracted to think about this
Darla chick.

CORDELIA
I can't just order up more visions,
you know. I'm not a mystical vending
machine.

WESLEY
It certainly would have occupied his time.

CORDELIA
Earth to retards - you have an obsession,
you pretty much squeeze it into your
schedule no matter what.

WESLEY
A ha! So you admit it's an obsession?

CORDELIA
No! I mean, yes, but - no!

WESLEY
Hypocrite!

CORDELIA
Ass pansy!

The following three speeches are spoken simultaneously, with Gunn, Cor, and Wes talking loudly over each other:

GUNN
You guys are drivin' me bugnuts, all
your talk about "This is his fault",
"This is our fault". You two wouldn't
last ten seconds on the street - you'd
be too busy snappin' at each other to
realize you were getting' knifed to death.
How you ever got a job fightin' demons,
I will never know.

CORDELIA
Besides, I never said he wasn't obsessed
with her in the first place. I was just
saying that eventually Angel would
have gotten over her, but, nooo, you
had to go and make a big thing out of it,
and we all wound up getting fired.
Tell me how that's not your fault.

WESLEY
Don't call me that! You know, I'm
sick and tired of being everyone's
whipping boy. I may come from a
civilized country where people don't
resolve their issues by punching other
people in their noses, but that doesn't
mean I'm just going to sit back and
take the abuse you seem desperate
to pile on me.

SMASH TIME CUT

Cor, Wes and Gunn stand onstage, belting out "Bridge Over Troubled Water." (or, as of this writing November 8, 2000 - "I Can't Live If Living Is Without You.") Their arms slung around each other, they sway back and forth the way only really-drunk-and-singing people can. Cor is crying and singing at the same time.

TIME CUT

Our three guys are back at their table now, quietly drunk. As we WIDEN the shot, we see that they are the only ones left in the bar… only a BUSBOY clears tables.

CORDELIA
Vampires… sloth demons… you
know what's really, really evil?
(beat)
Tequila.

WESLEY
What are we going to do? We're out
of work, Angel's gone doo-lally, and
I really don't think I should've had
that last shot of… what was it?

GUNN
Cinnamon Schnapps.

WESELY
I need to be dead now.

The Host moves up, and under the following sequence, he takes off his jacket, and folds it neatly over his arm:

HOST
Well, well, I see the maudlin segment
of tonight's binge is in full swing.
Don't be blue, I was very impressed
with your musical recitation of pain
earlier. And when I say "pain," I mean
mine - although props for singing your
little hearts out.

Cor looks at the Host.

CORDELIA
Yeah, our hearts were out and you,
Mr. Big Mojo Guy, are s'posed to be
able to guide us now.

WESLEY
She's right. We came, we sang, we…
(swallows)
…fought the urge to regurgitate.

CORDELIA
So spill already.
(to Wes)
Not you.
(to Host)
Where do we go from here? What
are we supposed to do with our lives?

HOST
Oh, sweetie, I'd love to tell you. But
when the Big Guys talk, I shut my yap.
And they're about to get real chatty -

WHAM! Cordy is ROCKED by a vision. CAMERA ROCKETS IN ON HER as she grabs her head, twists and jerks back - right into the waiting arm (cushioned by his folded jacket) of the Host.

WESLEY
Cordy…?

INSERT VISION - HIDEOUS DEMON drags BLOODY HELPLESS GIRL down an alley.

BACK TO SCENE

WESLEY
You all right?

CORDELIA
No!

GUNN
What'd you see?

CORDELIA
Alley… I think it's off Figueroa not
that far from here… a demon's dragging
a girl… she's hurt… bleeding…

Wes looks at Gunn.

WESLEY
(Action Guy)
Let's go.

They grab Cor and make a beeline for the door.

INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - BASEMENT - NIGHT

We CUT BETWEEN SHOTS of Angel, loading for bear - strapping on the RATCHET-STAKES, tucking knives into his boots. Putting stakes and daggers and crossbows in a black bag. Under this, we hear:

ANGEL (V.O.)
I know what I need now.

INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - LOBBY - NIGHT

Angel crosses the darkened lobby with the bag, heads for the reception desk. We hear:

ANGEL (V.O.)
I've been taking a false path. Ignoring
the obvious course.

He gets to the desk, where the PHONE is. He reaches for the PHONE… or, no, wait. He grabs the BIG-ASS BATTLE-AXE right next to it.

CU - ANGEL, grimly determined.

ANGEL
Fighting the wrong fight

He WIPES FRAME -

EXT. ALLEY #2 - NIGHT

Cor, Wes, and Gunn - all three of them out of breath - move down the alley, looking around at… nothing. There's nobody there.

CORDELIA
I don't get it - are we late? We didn't
feel late in my head.

GUNN
Over here.

Cor and Wes move to where Gunn's pointing - a small pool of BLOOD on the ground next to the wall.

CORDELIA
It's hers. It's gotta be hers. But
where is she?

GUNN
If we had Angel, he could track her.

CORDELIA
He'd also kill the big spiny demon
who took her. Did I mention its teeth
are about three inches long?

GUNN
And us, with no weapons. Man, I
wish Angel was here.

WESLEY
Well, he's not.

Cor and Gunn look at Wes - that came out a little more vehement than he'd planned. But he goes with it.

WESLEY
Angel's walked away from his duty.
We're not going to.

A beat.

CORDELIA
So how do we find her?

WESLEY
We start with the basics.

He crouches down next to the wall, to look at the blood.

WESLEY
First, we examine the area for any tell-
tale signs of a particular kind of -

He puts his hand against the wall to lean closer to the blood.

WESLEY
Yeuggh.

GUNN
There's different kinds of "yeuggh?"

Wes stands.

WESLEY
No, look -

He holds his hand out to them - it's sticky with BLOOD. The three of them look at the wall Wes leaned against - and there, running straight UP, is a BLOOD TRAIL, leading into a broken third-floor window.

GUNN
It took her up there.

CORDELIA
But the building's abandoned - the front
door was all chained up. How are we
supposed to -

They all look at a rickety DRAINPIPE running up the side of the building. Then at each other, knowing what they have to do -

EXT. STREET #2 - NIGHT

Darla and Drusilla are walking away from a building that has a DEMON BOUNCER standing outside.

DRUSILLA
I didn't like that barkeeper. I can't
get his eyes off my fingers.

She wipes her hand on her dress.

DARLA
That was the last one. It's nearly
midnight now - we should get to
the factory.

DRUSILLA
Methinks my little bird is anxious.

DARLA
Yes, well, recruiting a legion of
demons is stressful, Dru.

DRUSILLA
He won't leave, you know.

DARLA
(warning)
I don't want to hear this.

DRUSILLA
We could have a thousand soldiers, and
still he'll come. Galloping, galloping,
still he'll come.

Darla stops, angry -

DARLA
Why is everyone trying to make this
about Angel? For God's sake, can't a
woman wreak a little havoc without
there being a man involved?

DRUSILLA
You miss him. Like a heartbeat.

DARLA
I don't miss my heartbeat, Dru. It was
a symptom of a disease I've since been
cured of.
(small laugh)
You know, in a perfect world, Angel
would be here right now, helping me
burn this city to the ground. This is
his job I'm doing. But where is he?
(disgusted)
Probably flogging himself in a church
somewhere.

Dru shivers -

DRUSILLA
(with tingles)
Ooh. Flogging.
(grossed out)
Ooh. Churches.

Darla starts walking again, Dru trailing behind.

DARLA
(to herself)
In a perfect world, we'd be slaughtering
the innocent. Laughing as we rained
destruction on this whole miserable town.

Suddenly Dru smiles, her eyes unfocused. (They keep walking, Darla not looking at Dru.)

DRUSILLA
I see such pretty fire…

DARLA
(agreeing)
Fire… conflagration. In a perfect world,
there'd be nothing left here but ashes.

DRUSILLA
(laughing)
And pain… so much suffering… The
flames are lovely… they dance, and
the fire licks like a cat… and the
screams, oh, it's like star music…
(slyly)
My lower tummy is all warm.

DARLA
That's nice, Dru.
(finally looking back at her)
Now hurry up. We can't be late.

They move off -

INT./EXT. AUTO REPAIR SHOP - NIGHT

Angel walks up to the repair shop in SLOW-MOTION. He holds the BAG in one hand, the BATTLE AXE in the other - which he spins, slowly, expertly.

He pulls open the MASSIVE SLIDING DOOR to reveal about EIGHT DEMONS (four generic, four vampires) standing near the doorway.

ANGLE FROM BEHIND ANGEL - as he drops the bag in SLO-MO. We SEE the AXE in his right hand. A RATCHET-STAKE SHOOTS out of his left sleeve. The Demons look at him, menacing.

ANGEL (V.O.)
This is how the fight begins.

Off Angel -

INT. TENEMENT BUILDING - NIGHT

Gunn is helping Cordy in through the broken window. As Wes climbs in next -

CORDELIA
Ugh. Always the same. A smelly old
abandoned building. Are there no
demon hide-outs in Beverly Hills?

We WIDEN to see what Cor means: the place is a dump. Broken furniture and squatter's leavings. The walls - the ones that haven't collapsed - are covered in old graffiti.

WESLEY
Several, as a matter of -
(he stops)
There, in the corner.

OUR GANG'S POV - a young GIRL slouches, dazed, against the wall. Her eyes flutter… still alive. But she's very pale, and sporting a large WOUND in her stomach, blood everywhere.

CORDELIA
That's her, but where's the -

And suddenly a DEMON launches at them with a piercing SCREAM.

BLACK OUT

END OF ACT THREE

Act Four

INT. TENEMENT BUILDING - NIGHT

Right where we left off. The DEMON leaps at the gang, taking Gunn down to the floor.

WESLEY
Cordy, get her out of here!

ANGLE ON GUNN - pinned down by the Demon, its teeth mere inches from Gunn's eyes as he struggles to keep it from ripping his face off. Suddenly, a TWO-BY-FOUR is swung right into the Demon's face, knocking it off Gunn.

We PAN UP to see Wesley, holding the two-by-four. Gunn scrambles to his feet.

ANGLE ON THE DEMON - as it rolls with the blow, then stands. It looks at Wes and Gunn, deciding which to kill first.

ANGLE ON COR - half-lifting, half-dragging the Girl to her feet.

CORDELIA
Come on, lady - we gotta get you…
come on! We gotta move!

But the Demon has ears, too - it turns to see Cor trying to steal its prey, and with a GROWL, begins to lunge at her. Gunn JUMPS on the Demon's back, punching at its face, distracting it long enough to let Cor and the Girl move to the WINDOW.

Unfortunately for Gunn, the Demon simply reaches behind itself and FLINGS Gunn up, over - and UPSIDE DOWN into a wall. Gunn sinks to the floor.

POW! Wesley SLAMS the two-by-four into the Demon's back, driving it to its knees. It's not down for long, though, turning and TACKLING Wes around the legs. He goes down, the Demon on top of him. The Demon sinks its TEETH into Wesley's SHOULDER. Wes screams.

ANGLE ON GUNN - coming to. He sees the Demon on top of Wes, and, grabbing a nearby BROKEN CHAIR, gets to his feet. As he lunges forward, he gives a warrior's CRY -

-- which makes the Demon turn - WHACK! Right into the CHAIR Gunn swings at its face. It falls to the ground, and Gunn finishes him off with a CHAIR LEG through the head. It makes a wet, CRUNCHY sound. The Demon is dead.

Wes gets to his feet - blood soaking through his shirt - and stands over the Demon with Cor and Gunn. He looks over at the Girl, slumped by the window.

WESLEY
We need to get her to a hospital.

GUNN
What about you?

WESLEY
I'm fine - just a -
(he looks at his shoulder)
-- we should leave before I pass out.
Or possibly during.

GUNN
(looking at the demon)
This thing just about ripped us to shreds.

CORDELIA
Yeah, but out of everybody here, which
one of us is the dead one?

They look down at the Demon, then at each other. Off the three of them -

EXT. AUTO REPAIR SHOP - NIGHT

Darla and Dru approach the repair shop.

DARLA
I want to make this quick, all right?
We go in, weed out the losers, then leave.
I've got precious little patience left.

We see the building. Dru's eyes light up.

DRUSILLA
Oh, it's beautiful - dark and dank - it
reeks of death.

DARLA
That's motor oil, Dru.

DRUSILLA
Can we buy it? It could be our castle.

DARLA
There's no view. Plus, we're broke.
(thinking)
Though I suppose Lindsey could help
out in that respect. If they haven't killed
him yet.

DRUSILLA
I like the girl. She's wicked.

DARLA
They're sweet kids. Naïve, but they're
only human. I doubt they even know
what Wolfram and Hart's true plan for
Angel is. But I have to say, my curiosity
is piqued. And there are always other
ways of finding out.

They reach the door. Dru puts her hand on it, feeling the vibe -

DRUSILLA
Ten little soldiers all in a line… A shot
rings out, and down to nine.

DARLA
Ten? I'll be happy if we find three
who can hack it.

Darla slides open the massive door to see…

INT. AUTO REPAIR SHOP - CONTINUOUS

…FOUR DEAD DEMONS, lying in pools of blood and ooze, on the floor. Random body parts - an arm here, a foot there - lie on the ground, as well as a few piles of DUST.

ANGLE ON DARLA - shocked and dismayed. She and Dru step inside the factory, look at the carnage.

DRUSILLA
Dead already?
(pouting)
Bad soldiers. You shall have no treats.

DARLA
Who -

And suddenly, both girls look up at once.

DARLA AND DRU'S POV - Angel sits, crosslegged, on the hood of an old CAR. He is ravaged, badly beaten up from taking out so many demons. Blood smears his face, his hands are covered in it. He holds a lit CIGARETTE between his fingers.

Darla's face transforms.

DARLA
I should have known.

But Dru is more perceptive. She senses there's something not quite right here…

DRUSILLA
(whispered, to herself)
A shadow -

DARLA
Why so far away, my love? Why don't
you come over here and… stake me?
(beat)
Angel?
(sensing something)
Angelus?

CLOSE UP of Angel - his face impassive. A beat.

Then he FLICKS his CIGARETTE… it tumbles in SLO-MO, before hitting the ground… and IGNITING a trail of GASOLINE that runs…

…right up to the POOL of GAS that Dru and Darla are standing in. WHOOSH! The flames ENGULF them. They SCREAM.

ANGLE ON ANGEL - who gets up off the car, REVEALING a red can of GASOLINE behind him. He bends down, picks up his BAG, and walks out the side door. Never looking back.

ANGLE ON THE GIRLS - on fire. Darla leans down, grabs a nearby SLEDGEHAMMER, and, jerking Dru with her, they lunge through the door -

EXT. AUTO REPAIR SHOP - CONTINUOUS

…outside. Dru collapses, screaming, aflame, when Darla hauls back and SLAMS the sledgehammer into a FIRE HYDRANT, dropping to her knees. The top of the hydrant rips off, and water EXPLODES from it, dousing the flames.

Darla crawls over to Dru, cradles her in her arms as Dru sobs. They are both scarred and smoking - big open WOUNDS on their faces and arms, as the water pounds down on them.

DRUSILLA
(incoherent)
I'm burning! Burning! Make it stop!
Make it stop!

DARLA
Shhh, baby. Shhh.

Dru weeps inconsolably in Darla's lap. Darla looks back at the factory, her eyes narrowed.

DARLA
That wasn't Angel.

DRUSILLA
(weeping)
He's gone! He's all gone! Oh, it
hurts… it hurts…

DARLA
Wasn't Angelus, either.

DRUSILLA
(still crying)
Help me…

As Darla cradles the sobbing Dru, the rain pours down - and for the first time, we see that Darla is frightened. Very frightened. We PUSH IN on her burned features -

DARLA
Who was that?

EXT. LOS ANGELES SKYLINE - NIGHT TO DAY (STOCK)

Time passage…

EXT. WOLFRAM AND HART - DAY (STOCK)

To establish…

INT. WOLFRAM AND HART - HALLWAY - DAY

Lilah and Lindsey approach from two different directions. When they meet at the intersecting hallway, they both turn, begin to walk together, though they never look at each other. Both of them tense, walking fast.

LILAH
Heard about the fire?

LINDSEY
They're still alive.

LILAH
Undead.

LINDSEY
Whatever.

LILAH
Heard it was Angel.

LINDSEY
So?

LILAH
Killed a dozen demons, lit up Darla
and Drusilla like a Christmas tree.

LINDSEY
Your point?

LILAH
Little grimmer than usual, don'tcha think?

LINDSEY
Holland's vision lives on.

They stop outside the Conference Room door.

LILAH
Screw his vision. If anybody goes
down in here, it's gonna be you.

LINDSEY
If that's what it takes…

Lindsey reaches for the door handle -

INT. WOLFRAM AND HART - CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY

The lights are low. Small pockets of illumination on the conference room table. The door opens, and Lindsey and Lilah stand on the threshold, looking scared shitless.

HUNT (O.S.)
Mr. MacDonald. Miss Morgan. Come in.

REVERSE ANGLE to show HUNT ACREY, a Wolfram and Hart executive - 40's, ominously ordinary (think Agent Smith in "The Matrix") - sitting at the far end of the table. He is flanked by two MEN IN SUITS standing behind him. Lindsey and Lilah enter, close the door behind them.

HUNT
I'm Hunt Acrey, head of the investigative
committee. Sit down.

There are TWO CHAIRS placed at the end of the table. Lindsey and Lilah sit in them.

HUNT
I suppose you know why you're here.

LILAH
I'd just like to say, sir, my heart goes
out to all the victims and their families.

Lindsey rolls his eyes.

HUNT
Your sympathy, Miss Morgan, is duly
noted. May I continue?

Smacked down. Lilah nods meekly.

HUNT
The senior partners have decided -

Lilah and Lindsey stiffen.

HUNT
-- that this should be a time for grief
and reflection. We will never be able
to replace Holland Manners; he was a
man of extraordinary talents. Kind,
generous - did you know he played
Santa Clause at a local orphanage
every Christmas?

The lawyers look at each other - doesn't sound like Holland.

HUNT
Well, that's what we'll put in his obituary,
anyway. PR is PR.
(then)
The bottom line is, this leaves us with
an opening in our roster - we need an
executive Vice President of Special
Projects.

Hunt gets up, walks over to Lindsey and Lilah, his two Bodyguards moving with him. The lawyers seem pinned in their chairs - they crane their necks up to look at Hunt.

HUNT
Mr. MacDonald, your conduct at this
firm has proven spotty at best. You've
stolen files, cooperated with our enemy,
and disobeyed orders time and again.

Lilah smirks.

HUNT
Miss Morgan, when you drove away
the telekinetic Bethany Chaulk, you
lost for us a powerful potential assassin.

The smirk disappears.

HUNT
Not to mention the fact that both of
you have been extremely negligent
about informing us of visits from certain…
ladies who, lest we forget, ate the majority
of our Contracts department. Although
I'm sure that was merely an oversight
on your part.
(then)
The truth is, neither of you is particularly
qualified to run the Special Projects Division.

A long, ominous beat. The two lawyers are sweating bullets.

HUNT
And as for your relationship to on another:
your competition is vicious, destructive…
and healthy. We think you keep each
other on your toes.
(then)
Which is why we've decided to appoint
you both as joint, acting, Co-Vice
Presidents until such time as we see fit
to… narrow it down.
(flatly)
Congratulations.

Both Lindsey and Lilah start to get up -

LINDSEY LILAH
Thank you, sir -- It's an honor to -

HUNT
Sit down.

They immediately sit.

HUNT
I want to offer you a few friendly
words of advice.
(beat)
Don't screw up.

Hunt leans in, conspiratorial:

HUNT
Because, Mr. MacDonald, Miss Morgan -
the senior partners will be watching you.

And with that, Hunt (and his Bodyguards) exits. Off Lindsey and Lilah -

INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - BASEMENT - DAY

Angel is throwing KNIVES at a wall-target. THUNK! Bullseye. THUNK! Bullseye. THUNK! Bullseye. He goes to the target, retrieves the knives. Moves back. Throws. THUNK! Bullseye.

Suddenly Angel cocks his head - he looks up at the basement door… and Wesley walks through it. Angel turns away. Wes takes a few tentative steps down the stairs, stops.

WESLEY
I thought you might like to know - we're
keeping the agency open, with or without
you. You may have turned your back
on your mission. But we haven't.
(beat)
Someone has to fight the good fight.

He looks at Angel for a moment longer, then leaves. Angel looks at the knives in his hands, then HURLS one at the target. THUNK! It lands several inches left of the mark.

TIGHT ON ANGEL - he closes his eyes.

ANGEL (V.O.)
And someone has to fight the war.

A beat, then Angel opens his eyes. He THROWS the last knife -- THUNK! Bullseye.

BLACK OUT

THE END