Loyalty (January 15, 2002) Written by: Mere Smith Directed by: James A. Contner Teaser BIG FAT PREVIOUSLY ON... all about Angel, the baby, Cor/Groo (and going on vacation), Fred/Gunn, and ending with Wes at his desk, finding the terrible prophecy. FADE IN: INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - WESLEY'S OFFICE - DAY ANGLE ON WESLEY, head on his desk, eyes closed. He's surrounded by books, notepads, a pen still clutched between his fingers, his glasses askew on his nose. Stubbled cheeks. Over this: GUNN (O.S.) You gotta admire the loyalty. REVERSE TO REVEAL GUNN and FRED standing in the doorway, looking in on Wes. GUNN All night here, hittin' the books. Loggin' serious alone-time delvin' into the secret mysteries of... man, Wesley needs a life. FRED Do we have to wake him up? He's just so cute and rumpled and puppy-like. (off Gunn's look) Of course, I prefer big dogs. GUNN You shouldn't call a guy those things. It's like neutering him. Fred enters, reaches for one of the pages on Wçes's desk. Under this: FRED I wonder if he found anything new about Connor -- WESLEY Don't touch that. Fred yelps, jumps back, dropping the paper. Wes sits up. He's been awake the whole time. WESLEY (cont'd) (covering) They're just... in a specific order. I'll be lost if I -- what time is it? ANGEL (O.S.) Time for Wesley to wakey-wakey. ANGEL enters from the reception area, holding CONNOR wrapped in a BABY BLANKET. The blankey is sky-blue, with puffy white clouds on it. ANGEL Isn't that right, Connor? Wes starts tidying things up, putting things out of sight. His interaction with Angel is subtly strained -- as it will be throughout the episode. Just the faintest edge. WESLEY Must have lost track of time. I'd intended to go home, but -- ANGEL -- the road to hell, right? Wes looks up at Angel, searching his face. GUNN So, Wes -- find any answers in all those stuffy books? ANGEL He already knows the answer. He's just looking for the question. FRED Ooh, it's like Jîeopardy -- but without the big board. Wes looks at Fred, tries to change the subject -- WESLEY So, have we heard anything from Cordelia recentl-- ANGEL (O.S.) (interrupting) Hey, wanna see Connor do something cool? As Wes looks over at Angel we REVEAL that Angel is in VAMPFACE, still holding Connor. As we PUSH IN on him -- ANGEL I'm teaching him how to die. And with that, Angel leans forward and BITES his son (the baby blanket obscuring the actual bite, but sound effects telling us what we need to know). BACK ON WES, staring, horrified, as Angel drains the blood from Connor's body. Wes tries to get up, but can't move. WESLEY No... don't... He looks over at Fred and Gunn, who are watching Angel kill his son without even raising an eyebrow. Wes looks down at his hands resting on an open book -- WES'S POV: BLOOD starts seeping up through the pages. GUNN (O.S.) Tick tock, Wes. Runnin' out of time. BACK ON WES, as he looks from his hands to Angel. WES'S POV: CLOSE ON ANGEL, in òSLO-MO, as he rears his head back, blood dripping from his mouth. INSERT: the bloodstained BABY BLANKET Connor was wrapped in begins a SLO-MO, floating descent to the floor. FRED Oh, don't be silly, Charles. He's always too late. Wes looks down, lifts his hands: they're stained with blood. As the blanket touches the floor -- SMASH CUT TO: INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - WESLEY'S OFFICE - DAY Wes jolts awake, alone in his office. Exactly as he was before, stubbled and unkempt, only there's no Angel, Fred, or Gunn, no blood -- everything's completely normal. Just then Angel enters with Connor, almost exactly like in his dream (except Connor is in a different baby blanket) -- ANGEL Morning, Wes. You been here all night? Off Wes, looking at Angel... BLACK OUT. END OF TEASER Act One INT. DOCTOR'S OFFICE - WAITING ROOM - DAY CLOSE ON a squalling INFANT, his face red and shiny with tears. We might think it's Connor -- MOTHER #1 (O.S.) You'd think somebody was killing him. We POP WIDE to reveâal two MOTHERS sitting in a doctor's office waiting room. Both hold babies in their laps. MOTHER #1 All night long, the screaming and crying... MOTHER #2 (agreeing) Colic is the worst. MOTHER #1 It didn't happen with my other kid, but this one... I hold him, I walk him -- nothing seems to work. ANGEL (O.S.) Have you tried the vacuum? REVEAL ANGEL sitting across from the mothers, holding Connor on his lap. Wes sits next to him, an unofficial watchdog. ANGEL Sometimes the white noise from the motor'll put a colicky baby right to sleep. MOTHER #2 Y'know, I read about that -- MOTHER #1 Problem is, my older one -- I can't run the vacuum while he's sleeping. ANGEL You could try taping it -- the sound? Leave it playing by the crib kinda low -- should work just as well. MOTHER #1 (of course) Taping it -- I should've thought of that. (then, smiling) Mr. Dad to the rescue. NURSE (O.S.) Mrs. Ferguson? A NURSE waits at the door with a chart in hand. MOTHER #1 (to Angeîl) Excuse me. She stands and exits with her baby. Angel turns to Wes, a little gleeful. ANGEL "Mr. Dad". Check me out: I'm "Mr. Dad". Wes manages a small smile. Angel eyes him. ANGEL (cont'd) You feeling okay, Wes? WESLEY Just a bit tired, is all. ANGEL You know, you didn't have to come with me. WESLEY No, it's fine -- I just want to make sure Connor is... ("safe") ...perfectly healthy. ANGEL Probably good to get out of the office, huh? We haven't seen much of you the last couple days, all holed up with your prophecies and books. WESLEY Yes, I've been working on a... particularly difficult translation. Angel leans in, lowers his voice. ANGEL Is it about Connor? (beat) Anything to worry about? Wes looks at Angel. Suddenly he has a FLASHBACK from his dream: Angel biting Connor, his head rearing back, blood on his mouth. BACK IN -- Wes looks him dead in the eye. A beat. WESLEY No. NURSE (O.S.) Mr. Angel? The Nurse waits at the door. Angel looks from her to Connor. ANÕGEL We're up, kiddo. Angel stands. Wes follows suit. To Wes, a little confused: ANGEL (cont'd) You comin' in? WESLEY Just in case you... forget to ask something. Always better to have an extra pair of ears, right? Off Wes, we PRE-LAP: ANGEL (O.S.) You hear that? INT. DOCTOR'S OFFICE - EXAM ROOM - LATER POP WIDE to see the DOCTOR leaning over, listening to Connor's heart, Angel hovering. Wes stands apart, watching. ANGEL It's like a, like a... soft gurgle, or a wheeze -- it might be a wheeze. I heard it last night when I was feeding him. You hear it? DOCTOR (beat, listening) All I hear is a normal, healthy little heart. ANGEL You don't understand -- I've got really good hearing. Like... really good. The Doc stands up, puts his stethoscope around his neck. DOCTOR Most first-time parents do. Now, you said this wheeze or gurgle happened while you were feeding him? ANGEL Is that bad? What is it? DOCTOR In my professional opinion? (beat) It's calledç digestion. ANGEL Oh. Angel slumps with relief, looks at Wes, a little abashed. The Doc makes a note on Connor's CHART. WESLEY Doctor, during your exam, you didn't happen to notice anything... abnormal about him, did you? ANGEL Wes! What kinda question is that? (immediately, to Doc) Did you? DOCTOR No. Your son is just fine. ANGEL When'll we get the results of the blood tests? DOCTOR precaution, really. ANGEL But he's okay? Connor's healthy? The Doctor flips the chart closed. DOCTOR Mr. Angel, your son is 100%, without a doubt, as healthy as a human being can possibly be. A beat, as Angel takes that in. Then a grin breaks over his face, and he grabs the Doc's hand, pumps it up and down. ANGEL Thanks so much. Thank you. DOCTOR No problem. He continues shaking the Doc's hand. Beat. WESLEY Angel, you can let go of the doctor now. ANGEL Oh. Right. On our way. Finally Angel lets go, picks up Connor and leaves, Wes behind him. The Doc looks at his hand. DOCTORë Jeez, and they bitch about my cold hands... He puts the chart down on the counter, leaves. As we PUSH IN on the chart, we see that it's sitting next to a small VIAL OF BLOOD, marked "ANGEL, CONNOR". Just then the door opens again, and MOTHER #2, carrying her INFANT CHILD, enters, talking to her kid: MOTHER #2 Don't you worry, Gracie. The doctor's a very nice man, and as soon as he looks you over, we'll be outta here. She looks around the room, spots the blood vial. She looks out into the hallway, closes the door quickly. She reaches into her coat pocket, pulls out another small VIAL OF BLOOD (it is also marked "ANGEL, CONNOR"). She switches her vial for Connor's real one, pockets Connor's, when suddenly the NURSE enters -- NURSE There you are. Did you get turned around? You're supposed to be over in Exam 3. The Mother smiles. MOTHER #2 My mistake. As she leaves with the nurse, we PUSH IN on the fake vial -- INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - ANGEL'S ROOM - DAY CLOSE ON BLUE FLAMES, jîetting out from a gas stove. We ARM UP to see a POT sitting on the burner, heating up a bottle of baby formula. WIDEN as Angel enters frame, lifts the bottle out of the water, and turns off the stove. ANGEL Lunchtime, Connor. You want some lunch? We see Connor in his crib, cooing. Angel approaches with the bottle and a GLASS OF BLOOD as Wes enters. (Angel's back is to him, as Wes can't see what he's carrying.) ANGEL (cont'd) Yes. Daddy wants some lunch, too. WESLEY Angel! Angel spins to face him, startled. ANGEL What? WESLEY (seeing the glass, I'm so stupid) Oh. Lunch. Of course. ANGEL Jeez, Wes. What's up? WESLEY There's a United Express man downstairs with another package for you. ANGEL I'll be down in a minute. (to Connor) Hey there, little guy. Angel picks up Connor. Wes just stands by the door, watching. ANGEL (cont'd) (to Connor) You're hungry, aren'tcha? WESLEY (beat) He needs your signature before he can leave. Angel looks up at Wes hovering by the door, sighsï. ANGEL Fine. Just... grab this, would you? He shoves the glass of blood into Wes's hands, takes Connor, the bottle, and exits. Wes looks down at the blood in his hands, remembers his dream. We PRE-LAP: GUNN (O.S.) I wanna know how he does it. INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - LOBBY - MOMENTS LATER Angel turns around from the weapons cabinet holding a nasty looking DAGGER. He goes to a medium-sized BOX on the reception desk, slices it open. FRED holds Connor, giving him his bottle, as GUNN watches. Wes is in his office. (Throughout the scene, Angel will be sipping from his glass of blood.) GUNN No last name, no bank account -- (to Angel) How you orderin' stuff off the web? FRED It's not that hard, really. All you gotta do is hack into the shipping database, find somebody who's ordering what you want, then substitute your information -- (off Gunn's look, meekly) -- except that would just be high- tech robbery. ANGEL I memorized Cordelia's credit card number. FRED Oh. Low-tech robbery. Angeöl pulls out TWO WOODEN STICKS, each about a yard long, that curve at the bottom. GUNN Some kind of boomerang vamp stake? ANGEL No. (how cool) They're itty-bitty hockey sticks. (grins) And check this out. He reaches back into the box, pulls out a tiny HOCKEY JERSEY. Holds it up. It has "CONNOR" spelled out on the back. ANGEL (cont'd) How cute is this? Seriously? GUNN seriously? I'd say you've got way too much time on your hands. FRED Oh, come on -- you think it's adorable. GUNN (fessin' up) Well, yeah... but at least I'm manly enough to deny it. ANGEL Okay, okay, I'll admit: things have been a little slow since Cordy and the Groosalugg went on vacation. GUNN A little slow? I can't believe I'm sayin' this, but I'm actually jonesin' for a throwdown with somethin' mean and nasty. FRED Cordelia hasn't called once with a vision. (a beat) Do they even have a phone there? GUNN If you went all the way to the Yucatan so you could chill at some mango-eatin', skinny-dippin', hammock sleepinõ' resort, would you want there to be a phone? Fred's sly look to Gunn answers that question. Angel offers his own explanation. ANGEL Or maybe they're not near a phone. It's a vacation -- they're not gonna waste it all in a dark room... together... where the food's delivered and there's no reason to go outside... y'know, hockey's a fun game. Gunn has moved to the counter, picks up one of the sticks. He starts shuffling around with it, moving a HOCKEY PUCK that was in the box. GUNN You realize this is the whitest sport known to man? ANGEL True, but they only play indoors, and the games are usually at night. GUNN Gotcha. Nothin' says "Go Connor" like Pops burstin' into flames on the sidelines. ANGEL I realize it's a little early to be thinking about stuff like this, but... I don't know. I just can't wait to watch him grow up. INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - WESLEY'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS Wes at his desk, hears this last part, looks up. ANGEL (O.S.) For him to lose his first tooth. Learn to ride aú bike. I wanna help him pick out a tux when he goes to his senior prom. I can't wait to find out who he's gonna be. Wes rubs at his eyes, weary and torn. INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - LOBBY - CONTINUOUS As we were. ANGEL I know it's mushy but... he just makes me so happy. Gunn smacks the puck across the floor, where it thuds into the weapons cabinet. GUNN He shoots, he scores! ANGEL Sure, with no defender. Angel takes the other stick off the desk, faces off with Gunn. ANGEL (cont'd) I think Connor's gonna be a center, you know? Controllin' the puck -- He jukes around Gunn -- ANGEL (cont'd) -- ditchin' the left wing -- takin' it all the way to the crease -- He slaps the puck -- and it goes FLYING across the lobby, BREAKING A WINDOW to the garden. A beat. Angel holds out the stick. ANGEL (cont'd) Y'know, this isn't regulation size. AUBREY (O.S.) Excuse me -- The gang looks up to see AUBREY JENKINS standing at the front door. Aubrey is an attractive soccer mom. She carries a small black PURSâE. AUBREY Is this Angel Investigations? I need help. The gang drops what they're doing, move to her -- SLIGHT TIME CUT TO: INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - LOBBY - DAY Aubrey is seated on one of the red couches, the gang around her. Wes stands in the doorway of his office. Aubrey clutches a crumpled Kleenex. AUBREY I used to believe the police were the good guys, but they won't even listen to me. ANGEL They're still the good guys. They just don't know what's out there. AUBREY What, vampires? (half-laugh) Maybe I am nuts. FRED You're not. Believe me, we know. WESLEY I know this is difficult, but if you could tell us exactly what happened. Aubrey struggles to hold it together. AUBREY Last Monday night my son, Timothy, snuck out of the house -- he does that sometimes, he is one fearless little... (catches herself) I keep saying is. He was a fearless boy. Loved to go out to the pier. Loved the lights on that ferris wheel there. (takes a deep breath) I went out after him, seañrched the pier, the arcade, nothing. Sat up all night waiting from him to come home. ANGEL When did he return? Right before dawn? AUBREY (surprised he knew) Yeah. -- But his face was... there was something wrong with his face. (she touches her brow to indicate) And he was so angry. Calling me names, pounding on the door, screaming at me to let him in. It scared me. (looks Wes in the eye) I was afraid of my own son. -- And then he went up in flames. She doesn't cry, but her eyes are wet. WESLEY If you'd let him in, he would have killed you. AUBREY At least he'd still be alive. GUNN No. What came to your door -- that wasn't your son. It looked like your son, but it wasn't him. AUBREY But maybe I could've found a way to turn him back -- ANGEL Once someone becomes a vampire, there's no turning back. No matter how much you want to believe that some part of them can still be saved, all that's left is an evil thing. Wes shifts, uncomfortable. WESLEY (changing the subject) You say yo÷ur son went to the pier that night? Aubrey nods, certain. WESLEY (cont'd) Gunn, why don't you do a little recon while it's still light out? GUNN (offering) I could just gear up and take care of it. WESLEY No. If there's a nest at the pier, we'll need to go as a group. Recon only. We can tell Gunn's disappointed, but he covers: GUNN Okay. Me and Fred'll check it out. That wasn't exactly what Wes had in mind, but he nods. Aubrey looks up at them. AUBREY I want you to know: if I could've found that thing myself -- the monster who took my son -- I'd have killed it with my bare hands. (beat) It made me afraid of my little boy. Aubrey finally lets go. Starts to cry. After a moment. AUBREY (cont'd) (shakes her head no) I don't understand any of this, I mean... (looks into Wes' eyes) What am I supposed to do with his room? With all his things? I can't just throw them away. I can't. Off Wesley, watching Aubrey grieve: HARD CUT TO: OMITTED INT. HOLTZ'S LOFT - DAY - AUBREY Strong and poiÙsed; 180 degrees from her demeanor in the previous scene. AUBREY Wesley Wyndam-Pryce. She points at a SURVEILLANCE PHOTO of Wesley tacked on an easel. "WESLEY WYNDAM-PRYCE" written below it. AUBREY (cont'd) Heads the staff at Angel Investigations. Doles out assignments, specializes in references and research. WIDEN TO REVEAL: Aubrey standing in front of a group of nine or ten people, including HOLTZ and JUSTINE. This is Holtz's loft. Imagine a large Victorian attic, all crossbeams and eaves. There are THREE VAMPS chained in a corner, the rest of the space occupied by WEAPONS, BOOKS, COMPUTERS, TRAINING EQUIPMENT, and some OLD FURNITURE, including a heavy wooden ARMOIRE. The easel Aubrey's pointing to has GRAINY SURVEILLANCE PHOTOS (as though taken from a hidden camera in her purse) tacked up on it. Angel's blurry pic at the top ("ANGELUS" written under in); beneath that are Wesley's, Gunn's ("CHARLES GUNN"), and Fred's ("FRED [NICKNAME?]"). She points to Fredë's picture. AUBREY (cont'd) Nickname, Fred. This woman seems to be their resident science expert. It's unclear whether she's a fighter. Points at Gunn's photo. AUBREY (cont'd) Finally, Charles Gunn. Big and very strong. Could be a formidable opponent, thought he seems a bit on the impulsive side. We may be able to use that in the future. JUSTINE What about the other woman? The one with the visions? AUBREY Cordelia Chase. From what I could gather she was vacationing with her boyfriend. I couldn't get the location without raising suspicion. HOLTZ Nevertheless -- good work, Aubrey. As we PUSH IN on Aubrey -- AUBREY Thanks, boss. BLACK OUT. END OF ACT ONE Act Two INT. HOLTZ'S LOFT - DAY CLOSE ON THE SURVEILLANCE PHOTO OF ANGEL -- JUSTINE (O.S.) I don't understand. POP WIDE TO REVEAL -- Justine looking at the photos on the wall, Holtz beside her, looking at BLUEPRINTS on the table. JUSTINE How can these people work for a vampire? HOLTZ I once made a pact with a demonï. JUSTINE So you could get to Angelus. So you could kill a vampire. HOLTZ I'm sure they believe their reasons are good, however misguided. Things aren't always black and white, Justine, good and evil. JUSTINE What about Angelus? HOLTZ (beat, simply) He's evil. Over in the center of the room, two people in BODY ARMOR are training with a Vamp (not one of the three in the corner). It has a collar around its neck, a chain stretching to the floor, preventing it from moving very far in any direction. Just then the Vamp snaps his chain and begins beating the hell out of the Body Armor folks. Justine darts over, starts to throw down with the Vamp. Her fighting has improved -- not so much rough-and-tumble now as measured, calculating. Eventually Justine kicks it in the knee, dropping it. She grabs a SWORD and plunges it through the Vamp's midsection, pinning it to the ground as she turns to the Body Armor folks -- JUSTINE Chains would be good now. The Body Armor people rush over and reó-chain it. Justine yanks her sword out of the Vamp, comes back over to Holtz. HOLTZ They get more violent when they're kept hungry. JUSTINE Too bad, then. 'Cause they're not feeding on my watch. Holtz looks at Justine, what she's become. HOLTZ (very simply) I knew you were meant for this. If it were possible for Justine to glow, she would. Holtz turns back to the blueprints on the table. HOLTZ (cont'd) We need to get moving. Events are happening even quicker than I could have hoped. SAHJHAN (O.S.) Thank god. I was starting to get bored. REVEAL SAHJHAN MATERIALIZING a few feet away (CGI). Holtz keeps his poker face, but Justine pulls her sword and SLICES Sahjan's neck (CGI). It passes clean through without hurting him. SAHJHAN (a beat) Y'know, my barber has the same problem with his scissors, hence the bad hairdo. Justine keeps her sword up. Stands close to Holtz. SahJhan glances around. SAHJHAN (cont'd) Love the whole chained-undead look you got goin' on. Really sets off your feôrn. HOLTZ You can stand down, Justine. It's only Sahjhan. Justine lowers her sword. SAHJHAN "Only" Sahjhan? See, that's the trouble with you, Holtz. No respect. If you'd only done what you -- (stops, eyes Justine, to Holtz) Can we get a little privacy here? HOLTZ (beat) No. Smacked down. Sahjhan regroups -- SAHJHAN Fine. 'Cause unlike your (air quotes) "master plan", this'll be short and sweet. (beat) You owe me a dead vampire. HOLTZ Yes, well... how should I put this... (beat) What are you going to do about it? Sahjhan just stares at him, can't believe what he's hearing. HOLTZ (cont'd) Nothing. That's what you'll do. It's all you can do, or else you wouldn't have brought me here in the first place. (then) You've done your part, Sahjhan. Now let me do mine. SAHJHAN What is your part? Recruiting a bunch of paramilitary Moonie freaks to run around playing Candid Camera with Angel's buddies? That's crap. (beat) Admit it. You're a coward. (then) And I bet Caroline would agree. Holtzö betrays no emotion. SAHJHAN (cont'd) You remember her, don't you? Your dead wife, mother of your dead kids. How'd they die? Who swore revenge? Any of this ringing a bell? HOLTZ (calmly) Get out. Sahjhan smirks. SAHJHAN Or what? You can't kill me. HOLTZ No. But I can trap your dimensional essence in an Resikhian urn. (off Sahjhan's look) Wonderful devices, the urns -- they last a lifetime... that is, if you life forever. Holtz deadeyes Sahjhan. A beat. SAHJHAN This isn't over, Holtz. He DISAPPEARS (CGI). Off Holtz, we PRE-LAP: WESLEY (O.S.) I know it's dangerous. INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - WESLEY'S OFFICE - DAY Wesley is on the phone, angry -- WESLEY I don't care. You're a wizard. (beat) Because it's the right thing to do. (beat, gritted teeth) Then because I'm paying you an obscene amount of money. Just do it. And call me back. He slams the phone down as Fred enters, bouncy as per the norm. FRED Hey, Wes? WESLEY (slightly snapping) What is it? Fred loses some of the bouncy. FRöED I'm sorry, you're busy. I'll come back. WESLEY What can I do for you? The tone in his voice makes her regret coming in. FRED (reluctant) Nothing. I wanted to complement you. That's all. Not what he was expecting to hear. FRED (cont'd) You were really there for that woman, Aubrey. WESLEY (a bit softer) Thank you. Fred ventures a step closer. Looks around his office. FRED You've been working so hard, staring at all these books. And as a book- starer myself, I know how crazy- making that can be. (a beat) You should get out of here for a while. Go for a walk or see a movie with somebody. WESLEY I don't know. There's so much... FRED You deserve it. It might be a little too soon, but I thought maybe you could call Aubrey. She's real attractive, and her paperwork says she's single -- she probably needs a friend. Wes didn't see that curveball coming; the girl he's in love with is trying to set him up with someone else. He tries to speak kindly, but the angry edge glints through: WESûLEY Fred, we're not here to "date". We're here to do a job. Fred is almost ashen. She nods. WESLEY (cont'd) Now go to the pier and do your job, please. Wes doesn't seem to have anything to add to that, so she stands and leaves. Beat. As Wes reaches for the phone again, we PUSH IN on it -- INT. WOLFRAM AND HART - LILAH'S OFFICE - DAY -- PULLING BACK from Lilah's phone to see her on it, sitting alone at her desk. LILAH Is everything alright? Are they taking care of you? (listens) No, Mom, this is Lilah. You called Li-lah. Do you need anything? Do you need money? (listens) I can't come over, I'm in Los Angeles, you know that. (listens) Don't cry. Mom stop it, please. Just then Sahjhan MATERIALIZES (CGI) right in front of Lilah's desk. She doesn't blink. LILAH I'm gonna have to call you back. She hangs up. Looks at Sahjhan. Beat. LILAH (cont'd) You don't have an appointment. SAHJHAN That's it? No, "wow, how'd he do that?" No screaming in terror? You 21st century-types are so jaded. LILAH óYou're Sahjhan, aren't you? Now Sahjhan actually does look surprised. LILAH (cont'd) I may be jaded, but I do my homework. And there's a girl downstairs -- weird eyes -- she's got records on just about everything that's ever happened ever. (beat) My company rocks. SAHJHAN Yes, I'm familiar with your firm -- in this and... other dimensions. LILAH Great. Then let's shorthand. You're Sahjhan, a time-shifter. You recruited Holtz in the eighteenth century and put him on ice for a couple hundred years so he could pop up and stake Angel when he's least expecting it, yes? SAHJHAN More or less. LILAH But considering I have yet to put on my boogie shoes and dance on Angel's pile of dust, I'm imagining Holtz isn't working fast enough for you. Which leads me to believe you think my firm could expedite the process. SAHJHAN Again, more or less. Lilah grabs a PAD of paper and a SHARPIE. Scribbles furiously under: LILAH I hate to disappoint you, but Wolfram and Hart's official policy is to let Anùgel live until he becomes useful. I'm sworn to obey that policy. Lilah holds up the pad, which says in GREAT, BIG, CAP LETTERS, "COUNT ME IN". Sahjhan suddenly gets it: the room is bugged. He looks around the room. LILAH (cont'd) Is there some other way we can help you? SahJhan plays along, steps closer to Lilah. A DRAMATIC PUSH-IN on Sahjhan as he says slowly, ominously -- SAHJHAN I have a plan, but for it to work, I require a very rare and valuable ingredient. Getting it will be difficult, if not impossible. THE PUSH-IN CONTINUES -- SAHJHAN (cont'd) I need the blood of Angel's son-- LILAH (O.S.) (immediately) Got it. The PUSH-IN abruptly stops. Maybe even backs up a bit. A beat on Sahjhan. SAHJHAN Got it? What do you mean "got it"? How'd you get it? LILAH Swiped it from his doctor's office. Don't know what good it'll do you, though -- boys in the lab looked it over, say it's utterly run-of-the- mill. Completely normal. Sahjhan smiles. SAHJHAN That's because they're looking for the úwrong thing. EXT. LOS ANGELES SKYLINE - DAY Let's open it up, shall we? Shots of outdoors daytime L.A. (and let's put some in the post-library while we're at it). EXT. SANTA MONICA PIER - DAY Gunn and Fred wind their way through the afternoon crowd. FRED So I'm lookin' for anything suspicious. Like small, dark places where somebody could get grabbed. Or blacked-out cars or vans. Or pale, bumpy people with sharp teeth. GUNN I don't think we gotta worry about seein' any actual vamps, Fred. The sun's still kinda up in the sky. FRED Even so, as professionals, shouldn't we always be aware of the surround-- GUNN --Hey! Ring toss! Gunn steps over to a midway-style ring toss game. GUNN (cont'd) Want me to be all macho and win you a prize? FRED Charles...? GUNN All right. You be the macho one. (looks at prizes) Aww, look at that stuffed little bunny up there. Think you could win it for me? FRED This is so wrong. GUNN (a beat) You're right. I don't want a bunny. FRED Not the bunny -- wüe're supposed to be workin'. Gunn turns, looks at her. GUNN No. We're supposed to be doin' some bogus half-assed recon. That's different than workin'. FRED Still, it's our job. GUNN Actually, it was my job. Wes never said to bring you along. Probably wanted me out and about so he could chat up my girl. FRED Wesley wouldn't do that. (immediately) I'm your girl? (immediately) Wes knows about us and you knew he knew and you didn't let me know? GUNN C'mon, you knew he was interested in you. And now he knows we're seein' each other. So what? FRED He's our boss. -- And I don't think he likes the idea of us dating while we're working together. GUNN I'll be he doesn't. (realizing) He said something to you, didn't he? Fred looks away, somewhat ashamed. GUNN (cont'd) But you got my back, right? You stood up to him and said we're two adults and what we do with our personal lives is none of his business, right? FRED (nodding emphatically) Oh, you bet I-- (shaking her head) --didn't. No. I didn't.ù (beat) Charles, I like you. And I wanna keep liking you... GUNN Then do. FRED But when we're working together, it gets complicated. Maybe when we're out like this, we should just... work. GUNN (shakes his head) Can't do it that way. Maybe I'm greedy, but I want it all -- the great girl and the great job. I don't care what Wes says, I'm not givin' up either one without a fight. -- How 'bout you? Fred holds his gaze for a beat, shakes her head no. Gunn leans down and kisses her. GUNN (cont'd) Good. Now how 'bout we go lookin' for some vampires? They move off into the crowd. INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - RECEPTION AREA - NIGHT Angel sits in Cordelia's chair, feeding Connor, another glass of blood nearby. Wes enters from his office, quiet, subdued. WESLEY I have to leave the office for a little while. He looks like he wants to say more, but he doesn't. Beat. WESLEY (cont'd) Need my coat. He crosses to the coat rack behind Angel, grabs his coat. ANGEL Wes, what's goin' on? You've been on edgeÚ for days. Talk to me. Oh God, does Wesley want to talk about this. But he can't. WESLEY I just... want to make sure everything's okay. ANGEL You mean with Connor? Wes nods. Angel looks down at his son in his lap. ANGEL (cont'd) Poor little guy. You didn't mean to give Uncle Wesley such a big headache, did you? Wes watches Angel with his son, a loving tableau. Beat. WESLEY Will you two be all right while I'm away? ANGEL (puzzled) Why wouldn't we be? Wes shakes his head wearily: "I don't know what I was thinking." He puts on his coat, takes one last look -- just as Angel is sipping his glass of blood. Something in him hardens, resolves. WESLEY I won't be long. Wes moves to leave -- ANGEL Hey, Wes? (Wes turns, beat) Thanks. You're a good friend. How Wes puts the smile on, we may never know. He leaves. EXT. SANTA MONICA PIER - CAROUSEL - NIGHT Fred and Gunn make their way along the nearly deserted boardwalk. Gunn stops several yards away from the caroÜusel. Fred looks at her watch. FRED We should be getting back. GUNN Hang on. I'm getting a tingle. FRED (looks around shyly) I thought we were gonna try to keep that out of the work place. GUNN Not that kinda tingle. FRED Oh... Gunn's scanning the pier. Fred does the same. Fred (cont'd) I don't see anything suspicious. (a beat) Except that guy tryin' to break into that building over there. She points -- a dark FIGURE (which we find out later is HOLTZIAN MAN) is jimmying the door of the carousel building. GUNN Carousel closed hours ago. The Figure slips inside. Gunn gestures for Fred to follow him. They sneak over to the door, push it open -- INT. SANTA MONICA PIER - CAROUSEL - CONTINUOUS -- to see that FIGURE climbing up a ladder built on the wall. They speak in hushed tones -- FRED Is it a vampire? GUNN Only one way to find out. He pulls out a stake, starts to walk in. Fred grabs his arm. FRED Charles -- what are you doin'? GUNN My job. I didn¬'t spend all day walkin' the pier just to go home and file a report with Wesley. Let's finish this now. He sneaks off, crouches behind the carousel. Fred follows. FRED We're not supposed to be doin' this. GUNN So it'll be our little secret. Suddenly the carousel starts up. FRED Not much of a secret. FRED'S POV - A VAMP Shoved out of a small room in the center of the carousel. VAMP #2 drops from the top of the ride. VAMP #3 plummets from the darkness above the ladder. Hits hard. Stands. They're the vamps we saw chained up in Holtz's loft. They look dazed, disoriented -- until they see Gunn and Fred. They leer hungrily, start to advance. Off our two heroes, overmatched and outnumbered. BLACK OUT. END OF ACT TWO Act Three INT. SANTA MONICA PIER - CAROUSEL - NIGHT Right where we left off. The carousel spinning. Gunn grabs Fred -- GUNN Run! They take off for the door, but Vamp #1 gets there first, blocking tÕhe exit. They take off in another direction, but Vamp #2 blocks the way. We pop to a HIGH-WIDE POV: Fred and Gunn in the middle, all three vamps approaching from different directions. REVERSE TO REVEAL: Justine videotaping the fight from above through a small window. HOLTZIAN MAN joins her, peers down on the action. HOLTZIAN MAN Vamps're set free. JUSTINE I noticed. BACK ON GUNN -- Eyes on the vamps. He speaks urgently, low: GUNN (to Fred) Do you have a stake? She shakes her head no. GUNN (cont'd) Then we have a total of one. When I say "go", run. FRED I'm not leavin' you here. The vamps CHARGE. Gunn hooks Fred behind him, manages to fight the Vamps off for a minute. He SIDEKICKS Vamps #2 and #3, sends them flying. Turns to Fred: GUNN Get outta here! Now! FRED But -- Gunn all but shoves her. GUNN GO! His power and urgency startles her. Fearful, she turns and runs AWAY from the carousel just as Vamp #1 tackles Gunn around the knees. ANGLE ON× JUSTINE AND HOLTZIAN MAN -- taping away. HOLTZIAN MAN They're gonna kill him. Justine doesn't like it any better than he does, but she has a job to do, too. JUSTINE Maybe. BACK ON THE GROUND -- Gunn is on the floor. (Just to clarify -- this is an ugly fight, no fancy stuff. Just balls-to-the-wall survival instinct.) He KICKS Vamp #1 in the face, knocks it back through the RAILING. It splinters and breaks. Gunn scrambles after Vamp #1, climbs atop and STAKES IT (O.S.). No time to enjoy it, though, as Vamp #2 kicks Gunn in the head, causing him to DROP HIS STAKE as it skitters under the carousel. Gunn rolls with the blow, comes up under Vamp #3. He's into the fight. Sweeps Vamp #3's leg, dropping it to the ground, is turning to find Vamp #2, but it's already behind him. It grabs his throat, face-to-face, starts to squeeze. ANGLE ON JUSTINE AND HOLTZIAN MAN -- HOLTZIAN MAN Shouldn't we -- JUSTINE No. That's not why we're here. BACK ON THE GROUND -- Gunãn scrabbles at Vamp #2's hands, desperate for air. It looks like the end for ol' Charlie Gunn, as Vamp #3 rises up behind him, when suddenly -- FRED (O.S.) Behind you! At that moment, several things happen in rapid succession: ANGLE ON FRED, grabbing a long splinter of the broken rail -- CLOSE ON VAMP #2 as he sees Vamp #3 closing in -- CLOSE ON GUNN as he looks into Vamp #2's eyes, judges where his buddy's coming from -- ANGLE ON FRED, as she LOBS the make-shift stake to Gunn -- ANGLE ON GUNN, as he takes his hands away from the Vamp's on his throat, catches the stake -- Then we POP WIDE as Gunn thrusts his stake behind him blindly and NAILS Vamp #3 in the heart. At the same moment, Fred takes another rail shard and SHOVES it into Vamp#2's back. Both vamps DUST SIMULTANEOUSLY (CGI). ANGLE ON JUSTINE -- as she looks up from the camera's clam shell, surprised, and not a little impressed. JUSTINE Whatta ya know? She gives a small, relieved half-laugh. Then silentëly steals away as -- BACK ON THE GROUND -- Gunn and Fred look at each other, spent. GUNN Fred... why are you still here? FRED 'Cause. (beat) I got your back. They look at each other. Beat. FRED (cont'd) Well, actually I got his back. Gunn moves to her, takes her chin in his hand. GUNN Thanks. As they kiss -- EXT. LOS ANGELES SKYLINE - NIGHT Flash cut flash cut... EXT. JOLLYBURGER - NIGHT We're CLOSE ON WES, MOVING WITH HIM as he emerges from some shrubs, staring at the GPS HANDHELD he carries. We might think he's in a forest somewhere -- WESLEY 34 degrees, 12 minutes north. One- eighteen twenty-one west... this must be... it? He stops, looks up as we POP WIDE TO REVEAL: he's standing in front of a BIG ANTHROPOMORPHIC HAMBURGER. Well, actually it's the speaker-device for a fast food restaurant called JOLLYBURGER. Wes stands in the drive-thru lane, dumbfounded. WESLEY (cont'd) You're supposed to be a statue. Guess you are... sort of... Just then two TEENAGED KIDS Ùin Jollyburger uniforms exit the darkened building, locking the door. They spot Wes talking to Jollyburger. They laugh, making fun of the weirdo, then turn and walk off. Wes takes out a small cloth BAG and unties the drawstring, revealing an ORANGE POWDER. He sprinkles it over the Jollyburger, mutters -- WESLEY (cont'd) If this doesn't work, I'm going to kill that wizard so hard... He drops the bag, holds his hands out, intones by rote (like he's embarrassed to be saying this to a Jollyburger -- and frankly, who wouldn't be?) WESLEY (cont'd) Mange sec loa, Alegba. Accept this offering and open the gates of truth. Loa Kalfu, make your crossroads here. A YELLOWISH-ORANGE LIGHT (CGI) swirls around the Jollyburger, which suddenly animates, becoming a talking hamburger. Its voice is deep, ominous. Wes is a little surprised. JOLLYBURGER How dare you call on the loa? WESLEY I come in supplication, o great one, begging answers to questions only your power can reveal. æ JOLLYBURGER You have answers, human. You search now only for the question. Wes hears the disturbing echo of his dream. WESLEY Is it true? Will Angel really kill his son as it says in the prophecies? JOLLYBURGER That the vampire will devour his child is certain. The dark question you harbor is only when? WESLEY No, the dark question I harbor is how do I stop it? JOLLYBURGER It cannot be stopped. WESLEY It has to be stopped. There must be a way too-- Suddenly a BOLT of yellow-orange light (CGI) shoots out of the Jollyburger and ZAPS Wesley to the ground. He cries out, in obvious pain. JOLLYBURGER Your insolence is displeasing. As Wes gets to his feet, under his breath: WESLEY Try chatting with a pissy hamburger. JOLLYBURGER You risk your life, human, calling on the loa. Perhaps what you truly seek is death. The pain in your heart beg for it. Wes knows it's true. But he only says, coolly: WESLEY Then do it and be done. Nothing else will stop me. JOLLYBURGER SimpÛle mortal. Your pain is just beginning. Betrayal and agony lie in wait, and time is running out. Yet you still ignore the question... WESLEY Then when? When will this happen? JOLLYBURGER The first portent will shake the earth. The second will burn the air. The last will turn the sky to blood. WESLEY An earthquake? That's the first portent? We live in California! JOLLYBURGER Earthquake. Fire. Blood. Be heedful of the signs, human, and trouble the loa no more. With a flash of light, the Jollyburger reverts back to a speaker-device, leaving Wes standing there in front of a plastic hamburger. We PRE-LAP: LILAH (O.S.) I need a drink. INT. BAR - NIGHT Lilah sits at an upscale bar, having just addressed this last to the BARTENDER. LILAH Scotch, 30-year-old, two ice cubes. The Bartender moves off, as a HANDSOME INVESTMENT BANKER takes the stool next to Lilah. He flashes his toothy grin, opens his mouth to say something, but -- LILAH (cont'd) Not on your best dayé. Bye. A beat, he closes his mouth, slouches away, as the Bartender returns with Lilah's drink. CLOSE - LILAH As she savors her velvety scotch. She senses someone slipping onto the barstool again. Swivels to face SahJhan sitting next to her. SAHJHAN Sorry I'm late. (a beat) Kinda ironic, my being a time-shifter and all. Nothing from Lilah. She sips her drink. Then, LILAH It's on. SAHJHAN It's on? LILAH Our plan. The Angel plan. On. I out-sourced the labor, buried the costs. We shouldn't have a problem with the firm. -- Good seeyin' ya. She drains her drink, stands to leave. SAHJHAN Okay, but let's skip the small talk and get right to business. Lilah stops. Looks at him. SAHJHAN (cont'd) What? I just time-skipped a hundred and thirty three years for this meeting. Would a little conversation kill you? LILAH (beat) Right. 'Cause we're on a date. (then) The only reason I met you here is so we could talk freely. SAHJHAN So let's talk freely. (leans close) Would it impròess you if I said I invented Daylight Savings Time? LILAH (leans closer) Why do you want Angel dead? (then) It's the only thing I couldn't find in the archives. This seems to amuse Sahjhan in some small way. SAHJHAN Boy. All work and no play... (shrugs) I have my reasons. How 'bout you? -- Dyed-in-the-wool company gal. Why risk it all to kill Angel? LILAH We have a... history. SAHJHAN Well, same here. Lilah realizes she's not gonna get anything else out of him. LILAH Are you afraid of him? SAHJHAN (honestly) Nah. LILAH Then what are you afraid of? (off his look) You may be insubstantial, but I can still smell the fear. Sahjhan looks at her. She's getting too close. SAHJHAN Wow, look at the time. He stands. SAHJHAN (cont'd) When's this little plan go into effect? LILAH It's already started. Off Lilah, self-satisfied. EXT. LOS ANGELES SKYLINE - NIGHT TO DAY FLASH! Ahh-AHHH! INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - RECEPTION AREA - DAY Wes sits in Cordy's chair, staring at something o.ùs. He's still in the same clothes he wore last night; it's obvious he hasn't slept. We PULL BACK to find that it is Connor he's staring at, the baby asleep in his bassinet. A long moment. Suddenly a knock on the desk. Wes looks up -- AUBREY Hi. Sorry to interrupt your staring. You looked really into it. WESLEY Aubrey. I didn't hear you come in. Please -- He gestures for her to move into his office. She goes around one way, Wes moves through the double doors, meeting in -- INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - WESLEY'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS Wes moves behind his desk, sits. AUBREY I got your message, that everything was taken care of? I can't tell you how grateful I am. She pulls out a check, hands it to him. Wes looks at it without really seeing it. AUBREY (cont'd) It might've been too late for Timothy, but at least those monsters will never take someone else's son. Suddenly Wes looks up, seems to focus in on Aubrey. WESLEY "Monsters"? I don't recall mentioning there were more than one... AUBREY (backûpedaling) Well... you did say before that it could be a nest. WESLEY Oh. (beat, slumps back) Well, thanks for the check. We'll mail you a receipt. Aubrey stands there for a moment, looking him over. AUBREY Look, I know it's none of my business, but -- are you okay? No offense, but you look a little rough around the edges. WESLEY I'm... not sleeping very well. Or, rather, at all. (weak smile, soft) Sometimes I take the job a little too personally. AUBREY Yeah. I get that. They share a moment, two people struggling in their grief. AUBREY (cont'd) Would you... (beat) Ugh, this is so stupid, but... would you like to go out, maybe get a cup of coffee or something? WESLEY You mean... with you? AUBREY To be perfectly honest, I could use a friend right now. Ever since my (then) It gets lonely. WESLEY You're good. I liked the "lonely" thing. AUBREY (beat, confused) What? ANGEL (O.S.) Yeah, lonely -- that was a nice touch. Aubrey gasps, whirls around to find Angel RIGHT BEHIND HER. She's bÖusted and she knows it. Trapped between Angel and Wesley. She digs for a STAKE from her bag. She lunges, but he disarms her, shoves her against the wall by the throat. Her choking bravado masking fear. ANGEL (aside to Wesley) Moves more like a fighter than a victim, wouldn't you say? WESLEY Yes. I would. ANGEL (in Aubrey's face) You set up my friends. Let them walk into an ambush. They could have been killed. AUBREY (drops pretense) Yeah, but they weren't. Your friends are still alive -- and my little boy isn't. A beat. Angel releases his grip on her. She's still wary. ANGEL I'm sorry about your son. WESLEY Is that how Holtz found you? Because of what happened to your son? Aubrey doesn't respond. Tight mouthed. She's not about to offer anything. ANGEL You're right to protect him. Holtz is one of the good guys. He's got every right to hate me. And if he ever goes near any of my people ever again, or tries to touch a hair on my son's head -- I will kill èhim and anyone who gets in the way. (then) You might wanna mention that. Just then a TREMOR shakes the building. Not a gigantic one, but things definitely move, rattling pens, vibrating books. Aubrey takes off. The tremor continues as Angel moves to Connor, picks him up. ANGEL (cont'd) Slept right through it -- (moving off with Connor) That's my little guy. Off Wes -- INT. HOLTZ'S LOFT - DAY CLOSE ON A MONITOR, showing Gunn and Fred's fight with the vamps. It's playing the part where Fred is about to shove the wood shard into the Vamp's back. Suddenly it FREEZE-FRAMES, and a FINGER comes into view, poking at Fred's image. HOLTZ This tiny girl. Outsized, outmatched, outnumbered. POP OUT WIDE to see Holtz, Justine and a number of HOLTZIANS watching the tape. HOLTZ (cont'd) And she survived. Why? Because she was willing not to. She was prepared to die for the cause, rather than abandon her comrade. We too must be willing to die -- but more so. (beat) Study this carefully. Youò'll be fighting these two very soon. (sensing something) Perhaps sooner than I expected... He turns and now WE REVEAL -- AUBREY there. Out of breath, looking shook up. Holtz reads her, puts it together. HOLTZ (cont'd) They found you out. AUBREY I'm sorry. HOLTZ It's not important. Of course, I am rather annoyed that you allowed yourself to be followed... A VOICE (O.S.) Don't blame her. REVEAL: Wesley steps through the door. We do a big PUSH-IN: WESLEY I would've found you eventually. BLACK OUT. END OF ACT THREE Act Four INT. HOLTZ'S LOFT - RIGHT WHERE WE LEFT OFF The Holtzians rush forward, crowding Wesley, whose eyes never waver from Holtz. Holtzian Man #2 gets closest -- HOLTZIAN MAN #2 Maybe we should cut out his tongue and send a message to Angelus. WESLEY Maybe. Without even looking, Wes KARATE-CHOPS Holtzian Man #2 in the throat. HM2 drops to the ground in front of Wes, gagging. WESLEY (cont'd) Or perhaps you could lie on the floor and gag for a while. The Holtzøians look to Holtz for guidance. A beat, then Holtz waves his hand: let him through. Wes, never taking his eyes off Holtz, steps over the writhing body of HM2, crosses the room. Comes face to face with Holtz. A beat. WESLEY (cont'd) I didn't come here to fight. I'm not your enemy. But then I've noticed you do have trouble making the distinction. (then) You're fighting the wrong man. HOLTZ Angelus. WESLEY No. Angel. He's not Angelus anymore. He's a good man. HOLTZ (a derisive snort) He's not even a man. WESLEY (not wavering) Nevertheless -- he has a soul now. HOLTZ Yes. That he might know the pain he inflicted on his countless victims. A brilliant curse. I must admit. Gypsies do have a knack for creative vengeance. Where they fail, however, is in the execution of justice. And that I will have. WESLEY If you require a sacrifice -- take me. Angel's no more responsible for the crimes of Angelus than I am. HOLTZ Really? WESLEY Yes. HOLTZ (evenly, a simmer, not with the yelling) And Was ÷it your hands that held down my beloved Caroline as she was violated and murdered? That wrapped themselves around my son's neck and snapped it like kindling? Were yours the hands that clutched at my daughter as she was turned into a creature damned for all eternity? WESLEY No. HOLTZ (flatly) No. (then) A thing is what it is. Angelus is in his nature. The beast will re- emerge. You've seen it, you know it -- and that is why you are here. Wesley reacts, a little caught off guard. This isn't lost on Holtz. HOLTZ (cont'd) You're afraid he's going to kill the child. (then) And you're right. Wesley glances at Aubrey who can't hold his gaze, then he looks back to Holtz. WESLEY Your infiltration was more successful than I'd realized. HOLTZ I don't need prophecies to tell me what is plain. And neither do you. So long as the child remains with the demon, it's not safe. WESLEY (sarcastic) Well. I must have misunderstood. Here I thought this was a simple blood vendetta, when what you really want ôis to protect Angel's son. HOLTZ You don't believe me? WESLEY Hmm. Not sure, really. Could be the low scary voice that's giving me the trouble. HOLTZ It's time to make a decision, Mr. Wyndam-Pryce. My army is strong, and will only grow in number. You and your friends know what Angelus is. If you continue to ignore it, your innocence is forfeit. Fight against us, and this war will become a bloodbath. WESLEY This isn't war, it's revenge. JUSTINE And what's wrong with revenge? It's all some of us have left. Wesley looks to Justine, sees her pain. WESLEY I'm sorry you feel that way. JUSTINE I'm sorry it's true. A beat. Stand off. Wesley ditches the sarcasm and anger, tries to connect... WESLEY Look, I can't know what it's been like for any of you. I understand that... HOLTZ You might soon enough. This stops Wesley, he looks at Holtz. HOLTZ (cont'd) When I put my son's body in the ground, I had to open the coffin. Just to see if it was true -- to know that he was really in there.ù (then) A child's coffin, Mister Wyndam- Pryce... it's weights nothing. Off Wesley, absorbing the meaning of that... OMITTED EXT. LOS ANGELES SKYLINE - DAY Flash flash flash... INT. DINER - DAY - FRED As she pops a french fry into her mouth. FRED Barely touched your food. You feelin' okay? WIDEN TO REVEAL Gunn and Fred sitting in a booth in their favorite diner (see ep 14). In front of Gunn: pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs. In front of Fred: a plate with a couple crusts, a stray scrambled egg piece and some fries. GUNN Yeah. (a beat) Look, I've been thinkin' about yesterday. I'm not mad at Wes. FRED You were right, though. I should've stood up to him. GUNN But I understand his position. He's the boss and we need to respect that. His job is to keep things tight. That's a lot of pressure. FRED (suddenly nervous) You're not changing your mind are you? -- I mean, about the wanting it all? -- As long as we're not smoochin' on the job or, you know, gettin' sucked into the ground by a õplant-demon, I say why not go for it? Gunn shifts uncomfortably. GUNN Fred... what if we can't manage it all -- the job, the romance -- emotions are tricky. Can cloud our judgement, like they did at the carousel last night. What if it doesn't work? Fred sees where this is going. FRED So... we're back to that. (a beat) What if Wesley makes us choose? Gunn sits back in his booth. A heavy decision. GUNN I've been fightin' vamps and demons since I was a kid. That sense of doin' good, of gettin' up in the morning and makin' the world safer, better -- I've always had that... Fred looks glumly down at her food. GUNN (cont'd) ...But I never had a Fred before. Her eyes dart back up. Beat. GUNN (cont'd) If we have to... I choose you. (long beat) I came on too strong, didn't I? I'm scarin' you. Fred looks at him, reaches for his hand, smiles. FRED No. You came on just right. (beat) But what about the job? I know how important it is to you. GUNN All I need, is to know you're with me -- thatæ you've got my back. FRED (beat) Consider it gotten. They take a moment, the two of them. Gunn grabs one of her fries. Eats it. GUNN Let's try and not worry too much. Wesley's a good man. Off the pair of them: INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - HALLWAY - DAY GUNN (V.O.) He'll do the right thing. Always does. Wes moves down the hall toward Angel's door. Stops. Braces himself. He's going to tell Angel everything. Wes knocks. ANGEL (O.S.) Come in! INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - ANGEL'S ROOM - DAY Wes opens the door to find Angel putting Connor in his crib. Angel looks up -- ANGEL Hey, Wes. WESLEY Hey. ANGEL Have a nice walk? Wes nods. Angel moves to the stove, turns it on, puts Connor's bottle in the pot of water to heat it up. Beat. ANGEL (cont'd) How you doin'? (looks at him) Really? WESLEY I've had better days. ANGEL Know the feeling. Angel finishes putting the bottle on, moves to Wes. Beat. ANGEL (cont'd) I figured it out. Wes glances at him sharply -- he couldn't possiblèy know. ANGEL (cont'd) How I really knew about Aubrey. (beat) That story about her son was true. All the pain, the rage -- the only way she could deal was to join Holtz and take her revenge. You know how I knew that? WESLEY Because you would've done the same thing. Angel looks at Wes. He understands. Beat. ANGEL It scares me, y'know? If anything like that ever happened to Connor, I don't know what I'd... (beat) I love my son. WESLEY Love can be a terrible thing. ANGEL I used to think that. I thought love was something that ripped you up inside, that swallowed you whole. But what I feel for Connor -- even the fear -- it's not terrible, Wes. (beat) It's beautiful. Wes looks at Angel. Really looks at him. How could he ever think that this man would harm his child? For the first time in the show, Wes smiles for real. Even laughs. ANGEL (cont'd) What's so funny? Angel moves back to the stove to get Connor's bottle -- WESLEY Life. Life is funny. Listening to stupid people anßd talking hamburgers is funny. Worrying over things that will never -- (beat) It's just incredibly funny... and beautiful. Just then a TREMENDOUS EARTHQUAKE rattles the walls. Wesley's face falls -- as suddenly -- INSERT: The GAS PIPE behind the stove gets dislodged -- -- spraying gas on the lit burner and the stove EXPLODES, coming out of the wall. It throws Angel towards the nursery, Wesley towards the door, and creates a WALL OF FIRE separating the two. CUT TO: EXT. STREET - DAY Gunn and Fred huddle in a doorway, his arms around her. They cling tight together, riding it out. CUT TO: INT. HOLTZ'S LOFT - CONTINUOUS The Holtzians clutch on to crossbeams, trying to stay upright. Suddenly the ARMOIRE we mentioned earlier topples over -- right at Justine. We think she's toast when Holtz suddenly TACKLES her out of the way. As she looks up at Holtz on top of her, an intense moment between them -- CUT TO: INT. WOLFRAM AND HART - LILAH'S OFFICE - DAY Lilah sitsÛ at her desk, three PEOPLE IN SUITS sitting in front of her. The Suit People are grabbing on to their chairs, spilling papers and briefcases, looking around the room, frightened. Lilah merely sits there, a small smile playing on her lips: it's begun. CUT TO: INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - ANGEL'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS Paintings are falling off the walls, furniture is moving. This is a big fucking earthquake. Chunks of the ceiling start raining down. And oh yeah, there's also that MASSIVE WALL OF FIRE dividing Angel and Wesley. ON WES'S SIDE OF THE FIRE -- Wes sits up after having been thrown into the entryway wall. Suddenly a BEAM crashes in from the ceiling, catching fire. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FLAMES -- Angel stands up from where he was thrown, a large GASH on his head already dripping blood. Angel gathers Connor up in a baby blanket (the one was saw in the Teaser), wrapping him up completely. ON WES'S SIDE OF THE FIRE -- Wes gets to his feet, holding on to the wall, staÚring at the fire -- WES'S POV: Angel suddenly LEAPS (wouldn't hate it if we got it SLO-MO) OVER the firewall with Connor in his arms. He looks like a cross between Satan and an avenging angel. ANGEL Wesley! Out! Wes doesn't move, so Angel grabs him by the shirt and THROWS him into -- INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS -- where he CRASHES into the wall and drops to the floor just as the earthquake stops. He looks up at Angel, dazed -- -- as Angel unwraps Connor's blanket to find his son crying his lungs out. ANGEL It's okay. You're okay. WES'S POV FROM THE GROUND: The blood from Angel's head wound drops onto the sky-blue blanket, turning the puffy white clouds crimson. In Wesley's head: WESLEY (to himself) Sky to blood... ON WES -- his terror growing and growing... ANGEL Whew! I thought we were gonna be trapped in there. ANGLE: ON CONNOR ANGEL (cont'd) (teasing) 'Least I woulda had somethin' to snack on. As Wes reacts: BLACK OUT. THE END