"Home" Written by: Tim Minear Directed by: Tim Minear April 8, 2003 (PINK) Teaser INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - LOBBY - NIGHT Where we left off. ANGEL, post- Jasmine battle, faces his friends -- and the risen-from-the-dead LILAH. ANGEL Lilah... LILAH Angel. Angel just stares at her for a beat, studying her, taking her in with his senses. LILAH (cont'd) Whatsa matter, Ace? Didn't think you were the only one who ever gets to come back from hell around here, didja? Speaking of which -- (parched mouth smacks) -- could I possibly get some ice water? ANGEL What are you doing here, Lilah? WESLEY She's not here. Everyone looks at him. WESLEY (cont'd) It's not here. It can't be. LILAH There's a dollar bill in your wallet says different. WESLEY It's a lie. LILAH --lah. "It's a Lilah." Nothin'. Lilah sighs, turns to Angel -- LILAH (cont'd) You're the one with the preternatural senses. You tell him. ANGEL (after a beat) It's true, Wesley. It's her. Wesley goes silent, feeling the full weight of this. LILAH See? That old vampire honker never misses. FRED But... how? She was dead. You were dead. We saw it. ANGEL She's still dead. The others react to that, what it might mean. GUNN Vampire? LILAH (insulted) Ewww. Please. Angelus drank from me, true. But, like with most men, it was a one way street. I was dead already. Besides... my Wesley made sure I'd be spared -- just in case. She tugs at her collar -- revealing the scar from her recent decapitation. Wesley recoils from that, nearly imperceptibly. LILAH (cont'd) (not without tenderness) It's okay, Lover. I never felt a thing. WESLEY (hoarsely) I'm sure that's true. Lilah and Wesley hold the look for a beat. GUNN I don't get this. If she ain't alive and she ain't a vampire -- what in the hell is she? LORNE More like what out of hell is she. LILAH (sad smile) And out only for a short while, sad to say. I'm just a messenger. That's all. They'll be sending me back once I've finished here. GUNN Who's "they?" ANGEL Wolfram and Hart. (off their looks) The contract she signed with them extends beyond her death. LILAH Standard perpetuity clause, I'm afraid. Always read the fine print. ANGEL What's your game, Lilah? LILAH No game. In fact, game over. And guess what? You win. Which is why I'm here. I've been authorized to make you kids an offer. FRED You can't possibly think there's anything we'd want from you. LILAH Oh, I don't think you'll want it... but you'll take it. Because this... this is the offer... And we're in to a big dramatic PUSH IN up to Lilah LILAH (cont'd) ...of a lifetime! Music sting! Teaser out! Or so you'd think. Beat. Then: LILAH (cont'd) Just not, you know, mine. BLACKOUT END OF TEASER Act One INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - LOBBY - NIGHT A moment has passed. Everyone's standing more or less frozen, staring at Lilah. Our endless opening credits over this. No one speaks. This is weird and un-TV like. But it's covered. Wide shots, two shots, close ups. It goes on for a long time. All the way up to the "directed by" credit. 'cause that would be funny. Just a'cuttin' back and forth. Until finally, the last credit, then: GUNN (to Lilah) You wanna run that by us one more time? LILAH What was unclear? FRED I think the part where you offered us Wolfram and Hart. LILAH Just the L.A. branch. LORNE (to himself) "Just the L.A. branch..." (then) Hi. I'm from another dimension. What the hell does that mean? LILAH Means we give! You win. We're movin' out. The Senior Partners are ceding this territory to you -- and to prove it, they wanna give you controlling interests in our L. A. office. You get the building, assets, personnel. Letterhead and paperclips. All of it. Yours, to do with as you see fit. FRED But... there is no Los Angeles office of Wolfram and Hart... The Beast destroyed everything. LILAH Oh, it's back. Re-staffed and zombie- free. Well, mostly. And it's bigger and better and shinier than ever. And we want to give it to you. GUNN You wanna give us your evil law firm..? (then) We ain't lawyers! FRED Or evil. (adding) Currently. LILAH (laughs) This isn't about evil. Or good, for that matter. It's about power. What we're offering you is a turn- key, state-of-the-art multi-tasking operation. What you do with it... well that's up to you. ANGEL Why? LILAH Why? ANGEL Yes, Lilah. Why? LILAH I thought that was obvious. You've earned it. Think of it as a reward. GUNN Reward for what? LILAH For ending world peace. She lets that sit there for a half a beat, then -- LILAH (cont'd) We were really on the precipice there. I mean, a bona fide goddess incarnates... is inches from eliminatingall violence, hate and litigation from the planet -- and you five, with an assist from sonny boy -- manage to undo it all. (brightly, thumbs up) Way to go! A moment as they absorb that. Whoops and denial. FRED That's not what happened... LILAH No? FRED No. We didn't end world peace. GUNN We did what we always do, we capped a monster. WESLEY Jasmine was creating a slave state. LILAH Right. A slave state where the slaves are full of giggly joy and all love each other. What a nightmare. WESLEY We saw what she really was. LORNE Not pretty in the face. LILAH You mean she was... (faux gasp) ... physically unattractive? Well then she must've been evil! Face it, you destroyed utopia. ANGEL She was eating people. LILAH Small sacrifices. They knew what they were getting into. LORNE Her stomach? LILAH World peace comes at a price. Jasmine understood that. She consumed, what? A few dozen souls a day? Now weigh that against ending the suffering of millions. And she was about to. If you hadn't stopped her when you did, she would have spread her gift of love and bliss to all mankind. But you fixed that. FRED No we didn't! I mean we did, we fixed it, but not in the way you're trying to make it sound! LILAH Geez, okay. It's not like it was a criticism. (starts for the door) Anyway, I'm dead and running late. You think about our proposal. Anyone who's interested and wants the grand tour -- there'll be a limo waiting outside just before dawn. (turns back) And hey, again -- good job! And she's gone. Silence and stillness for a beat. LORNE It's a trick, right? WESLEY Of course it's a trick. GUNN Never believed her when she was alive. Not gonna start now. FRED We ended a nefarious global domination scheme, not world peace. Right? Angel says nothing, just continues to stare as we GO TO - - EXT. LOS ANGELES - CITY STREETS - NIGHT A POLICE CAR SCREAMS by, SIREN WAILING. Vignettes of the city in the throes of a collective nervous breakdown. A WOMAN weeps. A COUPLE fights. A TRASH CAN is thrown through a window and LOOTERS take what they like. And we PICK UP CONNOR, moving through all this. (Be nice to have other loud and flashy emergency vehicles for drive-byes -- AMBULANCE, maybe even a FIRE TRUCK.) Connor seems more-or-less lost in his own thoughts, not paying a wicked lot of attention to the sadness around him. Until... something catches his attention... he looks up to -- CONNOR'S POV - of a FIGURE pacing the edge of a roof. EXT. UP ON THE ROOF - NIGHT The man has his back to us. He's wearing dark clothing and muttering to himself. A little too close to the edge for comfort. Connor appears, emerging from the shadows, approaching with caution. CONNOR Hey... The guy whirls around. Now WE SEE that he's a police officer. And he's been crying, maybe still is. He's got his gun unholstered and is absently holding it (not pointing it, not even gripping it, just cradling it in his hands.) It takes a second for him to focus on Connor. CONNOR Easy... You okay? The Officer squints at Connor. He's a very confused guy. OFFICER I lost something. The thing I needed. I don't know where it is... (some panic) I CAN'T FIND IT! CONNOR I know. (calming) I know... It's okay... OFFICER It is? CONNOR Yeah. OFFICER Will you help me find it? CONNOR I don't think I can. I think it's gone. OFFICER Oh. Oh no... The Officer backs up sharply, teetering at the edge as he brings the gun up in front of his face (in a WB acceptable way.) CONNOR Hey, don't do that... You don't wanna do that. OFFICER I don't? CONNOR No. What you're feeling... it's not just you. It's everybody... Listen. There're people down there who need you. To help keep the peace. OFFICER Peace? Can't keep the peace... CONNOR I'm pretty sure what you're feeling won't last... OFFICER How do you know? CONNOR Nothing ever does. Now just put that away. Go ahead. Put it away. Beat. The Officer slowly lowers his gun. Holsters it. He sways precariously backward. Suddenly Connor lunges out, grabs him by the shirt, spins him around, well away from the edge. Looks at him hard. CONNOR Listen to me. You're gonna go home. You're not gonna do anything stupid, okay? OFFICER Home? CONNOR Yeah. You got one, right? The Officer thinks, reaches into his mind, finds the image. OFFICER Yeah. Yeah, I have that. Now he's pulling out his wallet, opening it, looking for confirmation of this. OFFICER I have that. There. I do. Connor looks at what he's showing him. Family photos. A gorgeous WOMAN and four-year-old DAUGHTER. Beatific smiles. OFFICER (some relief) Sarah and Jill. That's home. CONNOR That's your family -- OFFICER Yeah. CONNOR That's your family... and you were just going to leave them like that? OFFICER Huh? CONNOR How were they gonna feel if you didn't come home? OFFICER I don't know... CONNOR Well you have to know! You have to know that! OFFICER I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking right. I didn't mean... Or maybe I did... You helped me. I feel better. Connor studies the man for a beat, manages to calm himself, now. He exhales. Nods. Fine. Connor starts to turn away, but suddenly and violently spins on the man and just starts PUMMELING, driving him to the ground, his fist coming down hard, over and over, screaming: CONNOR HOW DO YOU FEEL NOW?! HOW DO YOU FEEL NOW?! HOW DO YOU FEEL NOW?! INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - LOBBY - NIGHT Angel and Fred can be seen through the office window. She's giving him some long-needed medical attention. We're in Gunn's POV. He's pacing, Wesley is nearby, researching, he's got maps spread out. WESLEY Angel's battle with Jasmine took place... here. She was moving East. Probably to wherever Cordelia's being held... We find Connor, I suspect we'll find her, as well. GUNN Kid needs a leash if you ask me. Does it seem like we spend half our time looking for him? WESLEY Call this ground zero. If we work outward in an ever-expanding perimeter... GUNN "Ever-expanding perimeter." Right. That won't take weeks. WESLEY You've another idea, I'm ready to hear it. GUNN (shrugs) Just can't help thinkin' it might cut down on the leg work some if we had a little help. Few extra employees. (then) Or a turn-key, state-of-the-art multi-tasking operation. WESLEY You can't possibly think that's an option. GUNN Well now, I know it's an option, 'cause I was standing right there when the dead lady offered it to us. Wesley goes a bit stiff and silent. GUNN Come on, Wesley, how long you think you're gonna be satisfied, sitting there sticking pins in maps and blowing the dust off your books? Wesley looks away. Gunn feels some remorse. GUNN Sorry, man. Shouldn'ta said it like that. WESLEY No, no, they are rather dusty. GUNN Not what I meant. Can't have been easy for you, seeing Lilah again like that. WESLEY Oh. Yes. That was awkward, wasn't it? You decapitate a loved one, you don't expect them to come visiting. Wesley looks back at his maps; Gunn looks at Wesley. Beat. GUNN "Loved one?" WESLEY Figure of speech. GUNN Not sure I buy that. WESLEY (matter of fact) Not sure I do, either. Off that -- INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - ANGEL'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS Angel's shirt is off or open. He's got evidence of the several battles over the last few (non-stop) episodes. Fred's giving him some medical attention. ANGEL I shouldn't have let him go. FRED Angel. You'd been through like five major battles, in two dimensions without a single night's sleep! What you need to do is rest. ANGEL Can't rest. Not yet. Too much has gone wrong. FRED Angel, if we really did end world peace, you might as well nap. ANGEL That priest, in the other world, he said... things. Fred -- he knew I'd lost Cordy. FRED Angel -- ANGEL I was hoping once Jasmine was destroyed, Cordy would wake up. But she'd have contacted us by now. FRED Cordelia's going to be okay. Connor won't let anything happen to her. ANGEL The priest also said... he told me I would lose my son. That I'd lose Connor. FRED Angel. Demony alternate dimension priests'll say just about anything. Believe me, I know. You can't pay attention to that stuff. You know you could never lose Connor. (off Angel's look) Okay. Except for maybe that one time. ANGEL You mean that "one time" when he was kidnapped as an infant and taken into a demon domain for his entire childhood and raised by my mortal enemy? Beat. FRED Yeah, that one. (then) But you got him back! ANGEL No. I never did. Not really. You didn't see the look in his eyes, Fred. (beat) I think maybe Jasmine was the first time he ever felt like he belonged to something. FRED It couldn't have been easy. What he had to do. But he killed her to save us. That should tell you something. ANGEL I'm not sure that's why he did it. She reacts to that. But before he can explain that remark, he sees something through the door/window. He's pulling on a fresh shirt now, rising. He moves out to -- INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - LOBBY - CONTINUOUS Lorne is entering from the garden area. ANGEL Anything? LORNE Plenty. Just not about Connor or Cordelia. I'm not saying we ended world peace or anything, but it's a mess out there, kids. More so than usual. And considering the banner year we've had, that's up against some pretty stiff competition. ANGEL (looks to Wesley) What've you got? WESLEY Not much more than you left me with, I'm afraid. The truth is, if Connor doesn't want to be found... ANGEL We'll find him. We won't stop until we find them both. We're going to do whatever it takes. GUNN Okay. Well -- don't you think maybe then we should consider... ANGEL (sharply) Consider what, Gunn? What should we consider? Angel glares at Gunn, daring him to say it. GUNN (backpedals) Working outward in an ever-expanding perimeter? Angel holds the look for a beat, then, as he moves and grabs his coat, putting it on. ANGEL You wanna get in that limo when it gets here? That's up to you. It's not a decision I can make for you. For any of you. But know this: before the ride's even over, before you ever walk through their door, you'll be corrupted. WESLEY Where are you off to? ANGEL See if I can find my son. Maybe I can still pick up the trail. I could get lucky. And he's gone. The others just stand there for a moment, silent. FRED (finally, to Gunn) I can't believe he thought you meant... Gunn doesn't look at her on his way to the stairs. GUNN I'm going to bed. WESLEY Yes. I should be getting home myself. It's late. Well. Good night, all. LORNE 'night. FRED Good night. And Wesley is gone. Lorne finishes making his night cap. LORNE Don't you worry about a thing, Kitten. Our boys have way too much good sense to take a bite outta that apple. (as he goes with his drink) Good night, sweetie. FRED 'night... Off Fred, alone. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - NIGHT As lights go out in a couple of the upper stories. INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - UPPER CORRIDOR - NIGHT It's dark. A door to one of the rooms opens, Fred, in a fresh change of clothes, slips out of her room, carrying her shoes, padding silently down the hall INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - LOBBY - NIGHT Fred comes down the stairs, tiptoes toward the front door, slips on her shoes and slides out the door. EXT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - NIGHT Fred comes outside. A SLEEK BLACK LIMO idles there, headlights on. She takes a breath. Will she move to it? WESLEY (O.S.) I don't know how long it's been here... (steps out of shadows) Since before I arrived. FRED I thought I'd be the only one. WESLEY And I thought for sure I wouldn't be. Though I didn't expect it'd be you. FRED I just figured... well, if they are up to something... GUNN (O.S.) We should know what it is. (appearing) I get that. WESLEY Well. We three. GUNN Looks like. WESLEY What were the odds the humans would be the most corruptible? FRED Maybe we should just go back inside. What if Angel's right? GUNN Yeah, and what if he's not? Look, all we're gonna do is take the tour. See what's the what. Don't mean we gotta commit to anything. WESLEY He's right. We go into this with our eyes open and our wits about us, there won't be any -- Angel steps up from behind them. ANGEL -- surprises? They look at him. He is stoic. They hold their collective breaths. Then: ANGEL Eh, what the hell. He moves right past them to the back door of the limo. He looks to them as he pulls it open. MUSIC BLASTS out from inside. Everyone looks to see -- LORNE, already in the back seat, mixing drinks, munching on snacks. He shakes an empty maraschino cherry jar toward the unseen driver: LORNE So it's an evil limo. I get that. Does that mean we don't re-stock the cherries? Also, a little air back here wouldn't be a terrible thing. (sees others) Hi. Fred, Wesley and Gunn pass Angel as they climb into the back of the limo with Lorne. Angel takes a breath, then, as he climbs in, pulls the limo door shut behind himself. SLAM! HARD CUT TO: INT. WOLFRAM AND HART - LOBBY - DAY DING! (Can this be a oner? Don't answer yet.) An elevator indicator light lights up. TILT DOWN to Angel in close up, he's looking into a large space that WE DON'T YET SEE. He starts out of the elevator, the gang following. CAMERA STEADICAMS back with him for a few steps, then swings around BECOMING HIS POV... moving into a BUSTLING GLEAMING LOBBY. MANY MANY bright and attractive lawyers and worker bees bustle past with: VARIOUS WORKERS Morning, Mister Angel. Morning, Mister Angel. Mister Angel, Good Morning. How are you this morning, Mister Angel? Mister Angel. Oh, the friendly and congenial smiles and nods. STEADICAM swings back around on our folks, though mostly close on Angel. They're more or less in the middle of the big, impressive space as LAWYERS buzz around them. ANGEL No way this is gonna go well. Now we're pulling back because our STEADICAM OPERATOR just stepped back onto a crane and we're RISING UP, our little group caught in the middle of all this energy. Up and up. And up? Okay, maybe just two ups, but at any rate we go off a tableau, and if the "Wolfram And Hart" logo appeared somewhere in this shot that wouldn't be a terrible thing. As the morning greetings continue - - BLACKOUT END OF ACT ONE Act Two INT. WOLFRAM AND HART - DAY Lilah moves to the gang through teaming extras, er, lawyers. LILAH Well. You all made it. What a shock. We've got a lot of ground to cover, so we best get started. They follow her. Up ahead, a group of four folks: A BEAUTIFUL SUPER-MODEL looking WOMAN, an older SEAN CONNERY-ESQUE ENGLISHMAN, a CUTE SCIENCE GEEK GUY and a SLICK TALENT AGENT FELLA. LILAH Let me introduce you to your guides. ANGEL (stops dead) Guides? Separate guides? LILAH Of course. There are five of you. All with specific interests, unique areas of expertise. It seemed the most efficient way of doing this. Prioritize and personalize. ANGEL Divide and conquer, you mean. LILAH Oh, you're so cynical! See? This is gonna work out great. ANGEL We don't split up. We came here together, we take the tour together. Right guys? GUNN (off Super Model) Do I get her? LILAH (motions to someone o.s.) Look, if we'd wanted to harm you, we would've blown up the limo, right? A SECURITY GUARD rolls a cart forward. It resembles a cheese or desert cart -- but is loaded with HEAVY WEAPONS. Lilah gives a game show hostess wave to the weapons. LILAH (cont'd) If you prefer to be armed during your time here, we'd have no objection. (more staring) Look, just because we've tried to kill or corrupt each and every one of you at one time or another doesn't mean we can't be trusted. Well, there is perhaps some eyebrow raising there. WESLEY She's right. (off their looks) We've made deals with them in the past. Shady as they are -- they always come through. They are honorable in their way. I doubt we'll be in any danger. Angel studies Wesley. Angel, looks back to Lilah, looks to the others -- LORNE Well, she was right about the limo. GUNN (off super model) Do I get her? Fred is fumbling with a clip and a bigass gun. She slams it in. SNAP! Locked and loaded. FRED I think we'll be okay. Angel sighs, looks back to Lilah -- she wins this one. LILAH (smiles) Preston? The Slick Agent guy steps forward. LILAH (cont'd) Lorne, Preston'll show you around the entertainment division. PRESTON (pumps Lorne's hand) Hi. Big fan. Huge. Love your work. (hands Lorne folder) I had this prepared. Confidential list. Peepers only. Thought you might wanna take a gander at our roster. Just a rundown of some of the talent we represent here. Lorne takes the folder, just south of delighted. As they move off, Lorne makes a show of moral outrage for the gang: LORNE You don't have to tell me what you represent, young man! I know! Evil! Unambiguous, unrepentant... (off folder, impressed) ...evil. Which is apparently everyone I've ever wanted to meet! And with a Charles Nelson Reilly-like laugh, Lorne is gone with Preston. Lilah beckons the Older Englishman forward. LILAH Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, Rutherford Sirk. I think you'll find you two have a lot in common. SIRK (shakes Wesley's hand) Pleasure. Shall we? Wes glances to Lilah, then nods to his host. They exit. Lilah intros Gunn to the Super Model. LILAH Charles Gunn, Lacey Shepherd. I think you'll find you two have nothing in common. LACEY (to Gunn) This way, Chuck. GUNN (as they go) You're not gonna try to corrupt me, are you? LACEY Wouldn't dream of it. GUNN We'll have to work on that. Lilah directs the Cute Science Nerd to -- LILAH Knox, this is Fred Burkle. Fred shifts the cumbersome firearm so she can shake Knox's hand. FRED Hi. LILAH Knox is the star of our science division. FRED Oh. Good to meet you. KNOX You too. Well. (off the big gun) This should be... fun. FRED (cheery gal/big gun) Yeah. They head off together. Angel looks to Lilah. ANGEL Well. Whaddya know. LILAH Yep. Just you and me, boss. Come on, Charlie. Let me show you the Chocolate Factory. INT. MALL - DAY CLOSE on CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM being scooped onto a cone. WIDER - the ice cream vendor is in the mall. Connor sits alone on a bench. Dark circles under his eyes, knee jiggling. Watching. CONNOR'S POV - of the comings and goings of shoppers. Heavily featured are FAMILIES and COUPLES of varying types. Domestic bliss. We're cutting between these things and going closer and closer on Connor. What he's seeing.... Little things start to crop up in our POV cutaways... a kid gets a slap up the backside of the head. That happy couple seems to be angry at each other. Connor, seeing through to the heart of the lie all around him. Building, building, until he rises, slamming his hand down on the bench, where we see A FISSURE -- INT. WOLFRAM AND HART - CORRIDOR - DAY Fred and Knox amble down the hallway. KNOX So Ms. Morgan speaks very highly of you. Fred whirls toward him, big gun waving randomly. FRED (blurting) You know she's dead? KNOX (re: gun) Yeah, um, I'd like not to be. Fred notes the gun. Is a bit more careful. FRED Oh. Sorry. So, are you a lawyer? You don't look like a lawyer. KNOX No, no. I'm strictly R&D. Though occasionally D&D. (Waits for the laugh. Nothing.) D&D. Dungeons and...? We actually have a dungeon. I'll show it to you later if... There's a... We also... there's a gym. I manage the science division. FRED Seem pretty young to head up a whole science division. KNOX Oh, I don't head it up. I manage it for the department head, which, I guess, you know, would be you. He moves past to a door. Fred does a take, follows him into: INT. WOLFRAM AND HART - SCIENCE WING - DAY This place is more like a warehouse than a room, has an ultra-modern NASA feel to it. The entire wing bustles with activity as lab technicians scurry about, scribbling on pads, pouring liquid out of beakers, typical science stuff. Fred can't hide her reaction. She's blown away. FRED Wow. KNOX I know. Everything modern technology has to offer, right here at your fingertips. They pass a scientist on a ladder who's beaming a laser onto a wall where a TRON-like schematic of the wall's wiring, plumbing, etc. is illuminated. KNOX (cont'd) We've got all the branches of science covered. Even created a few new ones. Everything's cutting edge. State-of-the-art. Fred's starting to dig all this. Looking around she eyes a Palm pilot-like device on a nearby workstation. Goes to it. KNOX (proudly) That's my little creation. FRED You might want to get out of the lab more. Personal organizers have been around for a while. I mean, not that it's not a nice palm pilot. Knox grabs the organizer from Fred. KNOX (punches buttons) Bet your buddy Matt Partney at 6200 Crestwood Boulevard, Lubbock, Texas would think so. FRED Hey-- how'd you know about Matt? KNOX Hacks into any electrical device within 100 yards. Patched into your cell phone's address book. FRED (impressed) You're like the MacGuyver of Wolfram and Hart! KNOX You're not wrong! I can make practically anything out of... a... fully... equipped... multi-million dollar lab. Say, didja see what they're doing in there? He directs her attention to an observation window. Behind it, two DOCTORS in ER scrubs operating on a PATIENT. The Patient is on his cell phone. PATIENT I don't give a good god damn what Hendrie says, we had a deal! (to Doctors) Guys, I won't have to move my three o'clock, will I? Doctors look at each other, shake their heads "no." Knox watches Fred watching this. Sees her amazement. KNOX Triple bypass surgery -- FRED But how? KNOX Short version-- we injected him with a small dosage of vampiric enzymes that allow his body to function while we fix his ticker. FRED And this doesn't make him all fangy? KNOX Nope. The enzymes have been specifically modified to break down after twenty-four hours. (conspiratorially) Does make him pretty gassy though. FRED Well. This place is amazing, but it doesn't change the fact that it's all for the greater bad. KNOX What? No. All the morally ambiguous departments are above the ninth floor. We're science. We're morally neutral. FRED Science may be... but how it's used... I mean, what if that guy they're saving in there is the next Hitler? KNOX He's a tax attorney. FRED Well! What if he's helping the next Hitler cheat on his taxes? Or this guy here -- Fred points to A GUY IN AN APRON pouring a jug of blue liquid into a pail, mixing chemicals. FRED (cont'd) -- I mean, sure, he could be developing a cure for cancer -- or making a potion that causes it! (tilts her head, looking) What is he doing, anyway? The aproned man grabs a squeegee pole, plunges it into his bucket of chemicals and starts a-swabbin'. KNOX The windows. INT. WOLFRAM AND HART - CORRIDOR - DAY Gunn follows Lacey, takes in the place as they move through. They pass cubicles of BUSY STAFF. GUNN So... pretty slick. She looks back over her shoulder questioningly. LACEY What is? GUNN You know, givin' each of us our own little "tour." Good way to isolate Angel. LACEY (amused) Is that what we're doing? GUNN Be a big coup, bringin' Angel over to the dark side. Vampire with a soul... Champion... that's gonna look good on anyone's letterhead. LACEY Why do you assume Angel is our priority? GUNN You tellin' me he isn't? LACEY A priority. Though each of you possess gifts we feel would be useful. GUNN (musing) Guess I can see what the others got; Fred's big brain... Wes's training... Lorne's mind readin' thing... just not sure what you expect... Gunn slows as they near something. He comes to a stop. GUNN (cont'd) ...me to do around here. Though I think maybe I'm startin' to figure it out -- Right up ahead, a SECURITY STATION. SECURITY GUARDS can be seen within the glass-walled station. GUNN Bet I'd look real smart in one of them blazers. LACEY Oh, I'm sure you would. (moves to him, takes his arm, ushers him) But we have much grander plans for you, Mister Gunn. GUNN You do? Grander? They arrive at the elevator. DINGS! The doors open. LACEY Shall we go upstairs? Off Gunn, intrigued: INT. WOLFRAM AND HART - LIBRARY AND RESEARCH ROOM - DAY CLOSE ON LARGE, ORNATE DOORS as they open, admitting SIRK, followed by WESLEY. SIRK Our ancient prophecies wing... ON WESLEY, as he eyes HIS POV - A fairly intimate, rosewood-paneled room. Inside, a long polished wood table with leather upholstered chairs surrounding it and a standing, antique globe. Above and encircling the circumference of the room is a railed landing of the floor above, like an observation deck. On the shelves of a nearby single bookcase rests roughly thirty, large and new-looking tomes. And that's all. WESLEY Looks like your wing's been clipped. SIRK Appearances can be deceiving. It's actually the most comprehensive collection of prophecy archives to be found anywhere. Wesley eyes him skeptically. SIRK (cont'd) Choose something to read. Anything at all. Something rare. WESLEY (playing along) All right. The Devandir Sibylline Codex. Sirk picks up a large book. SIRK Translated or Sanskrit? WESLEY Surprise me. SIRK I'm sure I will. (whispers to book) DevandirCodex. Sanskrit. He opens the book and hands it to Wes, who looks down to see: PRINTED WRITING fade up (CGI) on the blank pages. Sanskrit. ON WESLEY, flipping through the book, impressed. All the pages are filled with the same writing. SIRK The template you're holding provides access to anything stored in the firm's locked archives relating to prophesies, omens, Revelations-- WESLEY Impressive. (not looking up) And did the Watcher's Council know you stole the only known copy of the Codex when you left? SIRK There is no Council. WESLEY Not anymore, no. So you opted to, what, play for the other side... Cross the line? SIRK These are complicated times. Lines become blurry. How did you know? WESLEY Something about Watchers and -- WHAM!, Wesley gives him a sudden and sharp elbow to the throat, dropping him. WESLEY (cont'd) -- libraries. Wesley tosses the book aside. Extends his arm with a snap. What initially looks like his CGI telescoping sword shoots out of his sleeve, then the end of it flowers out into a grappling hook. He swings it high up and we see a strong monofilament cable attached. The hook latches on to the railing above. The cable begins to retract sending him WHOOSHING UP to the floor above. As he leaves frame... INT. WOLFRAM AND HART - HALLWAY - DAY Lilah leads Angel down a hallway. Even the walls resonate with wealth and power. LILAH ...your every whim catered to, your every desire a concierge away. Money. Clothes. Women. Did I mention we have a juice bar? ANGEL This is what you came back from the dead for? To play Let's Make an Evil Deal? LILAH Show him what's behind door number one, Bob... INT. WOLFRAM AND HART - LUXURY OFFICE - DAY Lilah opens the door and steps in with Angel. This is the kind of office that would make CEOs and Heads of States shed tears of envy. Even has its own personal elevator. LILAH I know it's not much, but the Taj Mahal was a bit of a commute. ANGEL What, I'm supposed to swoon? It's an office. LILAH With your own private elevator. Wanna take it for a spin? ANGEL What's it gonna do? Drop me in a vat of holy water? LILAH I was pushing for it, but they went with a motor pool. Figured you'd want to stay mobile, what with all that rushing out to save the day you're so fond of. ANGEL Thanks. Got a car. LILAH Now you got twelve of 'em. ANGEL What am I gonna do with twelve cars? LILAH Whatever you want. That's the point, or haven't you been listening? ANGEL Yeah, I have. Done now. LILAH Wait! I forgot to show you the best part. You're gonna love this... She picks up a remote from the desk and punches it. Drapes concealing a huge picture window whoosh open -- and BLAZING SUNLIGHT catches Angel full on. He grunts in surprise and throws his arms up as he -- doesn't burst into flames. ANGEL I'm not bursting into flames. LILAH Nope. (raps the glass) Necro-Tempered glass. Whole building's fitted with it. Helps keep those wholesome, uplifting rays from charbroilin' the boss. And thirty percent more energy efficient. Angel closes his eyes, soaking in sun against his skin. LILAH Feels even better when you're naked. I could turn around... ANGEL Close it. LILAH Promise I won't peek. Well, maybe just a skosh. ANGEL (tightly) Close it, Lilah. LILAH (hitting remote) Bye-bye Mister Sunshine. The drapes close, the shadows washing across Angel. LILAH (cont'd) Hello gloomy avenger. ANGEL Make that good-bye. LILAH But you haven't seen your penthouse. ANGEL I'm not taking the job, Lilah. LILAH It's not a job. It's an opportunity. ANGEL To be part of the problem? LILAH If that's what you choose. ANGEL Really don't. LILAH Again, your choice. But think about what you could do with the resources of Wolfram and Hart at your finger tips. The difference that would make. Nothing in the world is the way you think it oughta be. It's harsh and cruel -- but that's why there's you, Angel. You live as though the world were as it should be. With all of this you can make it that way. People don't need an unyielding champion. They need a man who knows the value of compromise... and how to beat the system from the inside. ANGEL Being on the inside... doesn't that usually mean you've been eaten? LILAH Maybe. But while you've been namby pamby-ing for the last ninety seconds, six innocent people have died. (off his glare) Oh, don't worry. There's always six thousand more just around the corner. Or up the coast. She pulls a file out of a drawer, tosses it to Angel. He glances at the tag across the top. ANGEL (tensing) Sunnydale. There's something else in the folder. Angel pulls out an AMULET. LILAH That nifty little bauble comes with the file. Apparently it's crucial for some kind of "final battle." Guess they're in short supply up Sunnydale way. Bit gauche for my taste, but hey -- not a Slayer. Angel locks eyes with her -- then sets the folder down. ANGEL Buffy can handle herself. LILAH But isn't it more fun when you handle her? ANGEL Keep your intel. Not interested. LILAH Not in this, maybe. How 'bout one on open homicides? Ectoplasmic malfeasance? Missing persons...? (off Angel's reaction) Knew there had to be a reason you took the tour. Dead, not stupid. ANGEL What do you know? LILAH About where Cordelia and your son are? Not a thing. But you can find out in about ten seconds. All you gotta do is pick up the phone. Boss. ANGEL I'm sorry what happened to you, Lilah. I really am. My friends and I'll be leaving now. He starts to move. The phone on the desk rings. LILAH (into phone) Yes? Of course. She hangs up. LILAH The Senior Partners would like to make sure you've sampled all the amenities before you make a decision... She presses the remote. A LARGE FLAT SCREEN comes down from the ceiling. ANGEL Cool. Is that high def -- The screen flares to life, showing a NEWS REPORT of a hostage situation at a shopping mall. Complete chaos. NEWSCASTER (V.O.) ...video taken by a tourist just a half hour ago, where an unknown assailant -- The image FREEZES on CONNOR, eyes filled with cold rage. NEWSCASTER (cont'd; V.O.) -- has taken hostages at the Century City Mall. It is not clear what demands have been made or what possible motive may have triggered... LILAH (over) Wow. Really has your eyes, doesn't he? OFF ANGEL, his world crumbling... BLACKOUT. END OF ACT TWO Act Three INT. WOLFRAM AND HART - LUXURY OFFICE - DAY WHAM! Lilah is slammed against the wall, the newscast of Connor's hostile takeover playing in the background. LILAH Watch the head. Comes off kinda easy. Angel grabs her by the throat, his anger boiling over. ANGEL You set this whole thing up. LILAH Been a little busy with the being dead. ANGEL You, the Senior Partners -- whoever. Get 'em on the phone. Make it stop. Now. LILAH Really love to -- 'cept for the part where we didn't have anything to do with it. ANGEL But you know who did. LILAH Yeah. I'm looking at him. (a beat) You're the one who raised him. Or didn't. Angel takes that one to the gut, releases Lilah. She rubs her neck. LILAH Can't imagine how the kid turned out postal. ANGEL You don't know anything about Connor. Let's keep it that way. He starts to exit. LILAH One-time offer, Angel. Walk out that door, the deal's off. Stay, and it's all yours. She holds the Sunnydale file out. He moves in, face murderously cold. ANGEL People like you, this place... that's what's wrong with the world, Lilah. It turns my stomach just being here. I will never be a part of this. (a beat) Not the way you're hoping, at least. (leans in menacingly) Now let me tell you what the deal's gonna be... And if a dead woman can look scared, she does. INT. WOLFRAM AND HART - CORRIDOR - DAY A couple of OFFICE WORKERS pass through frame. They enter an elevator (or go around a corner.) Hold for a beat on the empty corridor -- then WESLEY appears, moving quietly, quickly. He moves to a door marked "Maintenance." Enters into -- INT. WOLFRAM AND HART - MAINTENANCE ROOM - DAY A small maintenance room. Wesley moves to a grate which covers a ventilation shaft. Another Bondian flick of his wrist and -- INSERT - an electric screwdriver WHIRS at his sleeve (or, you know, not)-- ANGLE FROM INSIDE ventilation SHAFT Looking at Wes through the grate as he works at detaching the grate. He pops it off. Camera PULLS BACK fast into the snaking ventilation ducts, being enveloped by BLACKNESS... MUZAK COMES UP and WE ARE: INT. WOLFRAM AND HART - ELEVATOR - DAY The MUZAK PLAYS. Gunn stands with Lacey. Is that bristling sexual tension? Finally: GUNN Longest damn elevator ride I ever took. How big is this place? As Lacey glances at her watch, then leans toward him, smiling. She reaches out... LACEY It's time. ... and past him, to press a sequence of buttons on the elevator control panel. A (CGI) BUTTON appears at the top of the control panel. She presses it. GUNN Time for what? Hey, we better not be goin' where I think we're goin'. LACEY The answers you seek lie within The Room. GUNN (pounding lobby button) Only thing I seek is the lobby. Already rubbed elbows with Little Miss Muffet, don't need a repeat with her replacement. (shakes his head) Here I am, thinkin' I'm gettin' seduced. Well, I'm gettin' screwed all-- As everything around him begins to fade... INT. WOLFRAM AND HART - WHITE ROOM - CONTINUOUS Gunn looks up, to find himself alone in The White Room. No Lacey, no nothin'. Just white. GUNN --right. (calls) C'mon, you got the wrong guy in here. This room is for the big cats-- Gunn trails off as an enormous JAGUAR materializes (think 40 FPS) from the whiteness, slinking toward him. GUNN Think I preferred the little girl. The Jaguar prowls around Gunn, who stands frozen. The jaguar pauses in front of Gunn, paces there. Then it lifts its head, looks right into Gunn's eyes. CLOSE ON GUNN, as his fear transforms into something else, perhaps intrigue... CLOSE ON GUNN'S REFLECTION, mirrored in the big cat's eyes. WIDE AGAIN, as Gunn stands fearlessly. The cat paces in front of him. Some kind of connection is happening here, as they look into each other's eyes... Gunn nods slowly, as if he has understood something... Off Gunn, totally calm, as the cat ROARS... it echoes, post-lapping on -- INT. WOLFRAM AND HART - RECORDS ARCHIVE - DAY POW! CLOSE as a SECURITY GUARD takes a hard punch from WESLEY - a fight in progress, near the entrance of the room. WIDEN A BIT as the Guard struggles to raise his gun. Wesley manages to twist the Guard's wrist, slamming his hand against a WALL of FILE DRAWERS, knocking the weapon out of his hands. Wesley elbows him in the face. The Guard goes down, out cold. Wesley recovers and turns to look into the room. WIDEN OVER HIM to see A VAST LABYRINTH of enormous file cabinets, stretching on what seems like forever in, yes, CGI magic. ON WESLEY as he makes his way through the maze, quickly scanning the LABELED DRAWERS, searching. MOVING ACROSS rows of cabinets as he disappears and reappears again, until he stops and backtracks a step, seeing something. He pulls open a large drawer and begins rifling through it for a few moments until he hears: LILAH (O.S.) I was wondering how long it would take you to get here. Wesley freezes and turns to see LILAH, emerging from behind a bank of cabinets. WESLEY (dryly) How'd I do? LILAH Little slower than I would've bet. (wistfully) But then you always did like to take your time. (off the archive) So you finally made it. Got behind the facade. And here it all is. Every dirty little scheme. Every secret. All that evil, great and small. Cross referenced. Alphabetized. Right there in black and white. Just think of what you can accomplish with that kind of information. WESLEY (understanding) You wanted me to see this. You knew I'd- - LILAH "Die Hard" your way up here? C'mon, Wes, didn't need a Ouija board to prognosticate that little maneuver. (not unwarmly) Who knows you better than me? WESLEY Perhaps you don't know me as well as you thought. She looks at him, unsure now. WESLEY You think I broke in here to learn their secrets? I'm not interested in any of that. That's not why I'm here. Lilah hesitates, a little surprised. LILAH Then why? Off that unanswered question -- INT. MALL - SPORTING GOODS STORE - DAY Like a "Big 5" or some such. Lots of sporting equipment, camping gear. Like that. CAMERA TRACKS over some very FRIGHTENED PEOPLE. We may recognize many of them as some of the folks Connor was eyeballing earlier. They are arranged about the store in groups and pairings. They almost look posed. Oh, and they all have home-made wire/explosives attached to their bodies. A FATHER awkwardly holds his young DAUGHTER. The child whimpers, scared. The father, sweating, gets mad. FATHER (harsh, under his breath) Shut up shut up shut up. Suddenly the man's head is yanked back hard from behind. Connor looms over him. CONNOR Hey! I told you to be nice. FATHER I'm sorry. CONNOR You're not holding her right. Why don't you hold her right? FATHER I think you broke my arm. CONNOR Do it right. The Father winces, tries to embrace the child more tightly. Whispers comfort, as best he can. FATHER Shhhhhh. It's okay. All this, of course, only has the opposite effect on the child. But Connor seems placated by this show of faux parental concern. Connor moves away from these two. CONNOR kneels down into frame. He's working on something in the foreground that we can't quite see. Though we might notice several car batteries with wires attached. They run various places in the room. Connor looks up, sensing the presence behind him. He doesn't turn as -- CONNOR You got in. Thought you might. CAMERA ADJUSTS to see Angel standing on a store balcony behind Connor. ANGEL Connor... Angel drops gracefully from the balcony. Connor still doesn't turn. ANGEL What are you doing? Connor doesn't respond. ANGEL Son -- ? Angel takes a step forward. KA-BOOM! AN EXPLOSION goes off nearby Angel. The hostages whimper. CONNOR Might not wanna move. Everyone's rigged. Angel looks to the frightened faces peering back at him. He dare not move. CONNOR Can't save 'em all, dad. You don't know who'll be first. Connor looks to all the wires and various batteries arrayed before him. CONNOR Hell, I can't even remember who's attached to what. Could be any one of them... Connor turns to Angel -- he's got the same kind of jerry-rigged explosives strapped to himself. Connor's face holds no anger. Just pain and sadness. Maybe a tear rolls down his cheek. CONNOR (cont'd) Could be me... Connor steps a bit to his side, now revealing, behind him, looking peaceful in sleep, and rigged with a bunch of explosives... CONNOR (cont'd) ...could be her. ...CORDELIA. Off Angel's horror... BLACKOUT. END OF ACT THREE Act Four INT. MALL - SPORTING GOODS STORE - DAY The stand off continues. Angel looks from coma-coma-coma-coma- coma Cordel-ia to Connor, to the frightened hostages. ANGEL Son... You have to listen to me. What you're going through right now, this is about Jasmine. CONNOR Jasmine's gone. ANGEL I know. We all felt what it was like, that perfect love... and then when we had to give it up -- CONNOR I DIDN'T FEEL ANYTHING! (exhausted) I can't feel anything. Not anymore. The only thing I feel -- is nothing. I guess I really am your son -- 'cause I'm dead, too. ANGEL No. You're not dead, Connor. You're life's just started. CONNOR No! You just weren't there before! ANGEL I know. And I'm so -- CONNOR (cuts him off) DO NOT say you're sorry! It doesn't fix anything. ANGEL Then let me say this... I love you, Son. I love you more than anything in this world -- CONNOR It's a lie. ANGEL It's not. CONNOR It's always a lie. My dead mother couldn't even love me -- ANGEL You're wrong. She did. CONNOR No. She knew she couldn't, and so she killed herself. ANGEL She sacrificed herself because she loved you, Connor. CONNOR You tried to love me... at least I think you did... ANGEL I still do. CONNOR ...but not enough to hang on... you let him take me away, dad. You let him get me. You let him get me... ANGEL (a whisper) I'm sorry... CONNOR He said he loved me... I think maybe he even did. But never more than he hated you. (re: Cordy) Cordy... you swore you loved me -- where are you now? ANGEL Connor. There are people who love you. You have to believe that. CONNOR Jasmine believed it. When you said you loved her. But it was all a lie. Even though she made you happy, you still couldn't love her. ANGEL It was Jasmine that was the lie. CONNOR NO! No. She knew that if she showed you who she really was, you'd turn on her. And she was right! That's just what you did! People like you -- (re: hostages) -- people like THIS! None of you deserved what she could give you -- and she wanted to give you everything. ANGEL I know how that feels... because I want to give you everything. I want to take back the mistakes. I want to help you start over. CONNOR Can't start over -- ANGEL We can. We can change things. CONNOR Jasmine wanted to change things. But she couldn't. So I helped her. There's only one thing that ever changes anything. And that's death. And it's the one thing I'm good at... the rest is just a lie... He glances down at the batteries. CONNOR Can't be saved by a lie... Takes a wire... CONNOR Can't be saved at all... ...goes to touch it to a charge -- and in that split second, Angel makes his move, springing, tackling him -- And the fight is on. As they trade blows -- INT. WOLFRAM AND HART - RECORDS ARCHIVE - DAY Wesley is back digging in a filing cabinet. LILAH What are you doing? Wesley? ANGLE - looking into the filing cabinet as Wesley finds what he is looking for, a leather bound contract. He removes it, leaving the empty file pouch. Wesley holds it up -- it's marked "Morgan, Lilah." WESLEY Standard perpetuity clause. LILAH You broke in here for my contract? WESLEY I'm here to release you from it. He holds up a cigarette lighter. It sparks to life. RACK to see LILAH looking on with genuine affection. LILAH Wesley... ON WESLEY holding the contract in his hands up to the flame. She moves to stay his arm. He pulls away. LILAH Wesley. WESLEY You've suffered enough. I... I just want you to find some peace. He torches the document, turning it to feed the fire, then lets it drop to the floor. Wesley looks back to Lilah, smiling at him, sadly. LILAH Aww, Wesley. Gallant to the end. But I knew what I signed on for. ON CONTRACT, burning, turning to ashes. Gone. Wesley looks at it. WESLEY It's done. He looks back to her. She smiles sadly. Poor Wesley. LILAH Look in the drawer. He looks at her, confused. Then he looks to -- ANGLE - the filing cabinet. The file is back in the file pouch -- unburned. Wesley's hand slides it up to see her name, "Morgan, Lilah" there again. Wesley looks back to her. LILAH Flames wouldn't be eternal... if they actually consumed anything. He looks at her, powerless to change her fate. LILAH But it means something that you tried. Off the two of them, holding each other's gaze -- INT. MALL - SPORTING GOODS STORE - DAY Battle royale between Angel and Connor. Suffice it to say, big, epic, cool. They use various items in the sporting goods store as they fight. Smashing, crashing, punching, clawing. You know, the usual. Why, there might even be some SLO-MO. Who's to say? At some point, Angel throws Connor across the room, and starts ripping the explosives and wires off the hostages. The Father gets the hint, as do the others, and they start ripping them off themselves. Angel keeps Connor at bay as the people flee. Connor gets the advantage, knocks Angel away, and crawls toward the batteries... Angel grabs a BOWIE-KNIFE from a display, throws it -- Connor takes it in the back of the thigh. Angel pounces, pulls the knife and gets Connor on his back. Angel's got the knife in his hand. Connor knows he's lost. Angel looks down on his son with a world of regret in his eyes. ANGEL I really do love you, Connor. CONNOR So what are you gonna do about it? He raises the bowie- knife, is in the position for a killing blow. ANGEL Prove it. And with that, Angel brings the knife down surely and swiftly in a killing blow. And on impact we -- FADE TO WHITE. IN THE WHITENESS: A VOICE. SINGING. Coming up from silence. It's Lorne's voice. He sings the beginning of "Something's Coming" from "West Side Story." (Or, could be something else that starts a little hauntingly and then picks up.) LORNE (V.O.) (singing) Could be... Who knows... FADE UP FROM WHITE: INT. WOLFRAM AND HART - LOBBY - DAY CLOSE ON LORNE, belting his heart out, as the tempo picks up: LORNE (sings) There's something due any day... As Lorne sings, PULL BACK to find that he is back in the W&H lobby, revelling in... well, everything, but particularly the acoustics. LORNE (sings) I will know, right away... (still singing) Welcome back, Fred... REVEAL Fred, entering the lobby. She smiles, as Lorne takes her hand and dances with her. LORNE When this cruise ship sails, I'll be on the Lido deck. I mean, this place? Secrets of the universe! Like: Siegfried, evil. Roy, not so much. Balance, very important. Lorne spins a bemused Fred, releasing her right into: WESLEY, who's just walking in. He looks troubled. FRED Oh! Guess we're all stragglin' back. (re: Wes) Some more straggly-like than others. Are you...? WESLEY Just... a lot to take in. Before Fred can question Wesley further, the elevator doors slide open. Gunn steps out, strides toward his friends. There's a subtle difference in him. A quiet confidence, maybe. And he's a little colder. FRED You look... Did they make you taller? Gunn gets to the group, stops. GUNN I'm doin' this. Hope it's not just me, but if it is... that's all right too. Fred reacts, glances to Wesley. He doesn't seem so surprised by Gunn's statement. WESLEY As much as it pains me to admit it... there probably is a great deal we could accomplish with the resources available here. FRED I don't believe it... are you saying we should take the deal? ANGEL (O.S.) I already took it. REVEAL ANGEL, battered and bloody, standing inside the front doors of the building. As he walks toward the group, Fred rushes to his side. FRED Angel, what-- (then, re: the deal) What? LORNE Well, if you think it's best. Wesley takes in Angel's appearance- - including the sadness in his eyes. WESLEY (searching) You took the deal. Without talking to the rest of us. ANGEL Executive decision. You have a problem with that? WESLEY No. I just didn't think... LILAH (O.S.) He'd have the sense to know a silver platter when he's handed one? The group turns to FIND LILAH walking toward them, folder and amulet in hand. She and Wesley meet eyes. She can't quite take it, looks away, covering with: LILAH Gotta say, I'm impressed by the lot of you. Team Angel, all growed up. ANGEL (to Lilah) Is it taken care of? LILAH (nods) Cordelia's safe and sound. (glances at her watch) Probably getting a manicure and a blow dry as we speak. FRED You found Cordy? And she's-- LILAH Still in a coma. But, hey, doesn't mean she can't look her best. She'll receive the best of care -- medical and mystical. If there is a way to bring her back, we'll find it. ANGEL Good. Just one more piece of business. (then) I wanna see him. LILAH Sorry, Angel. Not possible. That wasn't part of the deal. ANGEL Value of compromise, Lilah. Remember? (then) I need to see him. A beat as Lilah thinks. Finally, she smiles, hands him the Sunnydale folder and the amulet. LILAH You're the boss. As Angel takes that in, not hating the idea: LILAH There's a limo waiting outside. It'll take you to see Connor. ANGEL (meaning it) Thank you. Angel turns, strides toward the front door. Then: FRED (to the gang) Who's Connor? Off the gang, none of them knowing the answer: EXT. MOUNTAIN ROAD - MAGIC HOUR Camera sweeping along, following a narrow mountain road as it winds through freshly fallen snow. The black limo gains into frame below. EXT. FAMILY HOME - MAGIC HOUR The limo creeps up, under snow-burdened trees, and stops a discrete distance from a comfortably rustic HOUSE nestled in a small clearing -- The limo's engine turns off. Hold for a quiet, expectant beat. TIME LAPSE - of the Sun dipping down behind the mountain, shadows crawling over the snow with intervelometer quickness as night falls. The limo door opens and Angel emerges. He walks toward the house, toward a large picture window that glows with hearthside warmth. He stands outside the light it casts onto the snow, careful to remain undiscovered. Angel looks in. PRELAP: O.S. FAMILY [laughter: easy, genuine] INT. FAMILY HOME - SAME The family is gathered about. They talk casually, constantly overlapping: DAD I'm just saying, you've got your pick. Any college in the -- CONNOR It's really not a big deal. MOM Top tenth percentile is a big deal. CONNOR All right, I'm Einstein. New subject. AUNT Are you and Tracy going to try to go to the same college? DAD Bad idea... CONNOR We haven't talked about it -- DAD I love Tracy, I'm just saying, bad way to go. LITTLE SISTER (disgusted) Tracy's a vegan. MOM At least she doesn't live on Pop tarts. AUNT Oh god, I'm booked up tomorrow and I can't -- MOM You can't make the game? DAD It's not a date with the martial arts nut, is it? AUNT I'm so sorry -- CONNOR I got it. When's the game. MOM You can pick her up at six. CONNOR When does it start? This is the semi finals, I gotta check it out. LITTLE SISTER You can't come! He's gonna cheer and stuff! CONNOR I'll root for the other team. I'll hurl things at you. LITTLE SISTER You can't come! I suck. MOM No you don't! DAD (same time) You suck? Why wasn't I told? AUNT (to Connor) You're saving my life. LITTLE SISTER (same time) You have to be silent and invisible. CONNOR I'm thinking maybe college overseas. In Russia. Is there a place farther away than Russia? MOM Don't even joke... DAD I feel a toast coming on... LITTLE SISTER Oh, god... MOM (same time) Here he goes... DAD To the top tenth -- CONNOR Enough. You don't even get to -- it's my night, since I'm all brilliant and stuff... and I'm forced to deal with you freaks for at least a few more months... so it's my toast. (raises his glass) To family. Not a word. They all raise glasses and drink. As Angel walks away they continue, all overlapping: LITTLE SISTER I think I should get wine for a toast. MOM That was beautiful... DAD So I wanna hear more about this hot date... AUNT It's not... CONNOR I didn't actually mean this family, I made that clear, right? EXT. FAMILY HOME - NIGHT THROUGH WINDOW TO CONNOR - who looks out for a beat, then turns back to the family, laughter resuming. CAMERA PULLS BACK, away from the house, further into the ice blue mountain night, just catching the limo as it backs away, leaving. Forever. BLACKOUT END OF SEASON Download Attachment: AtS 4.22 Home.txt -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Download Attachment: Ats 1. Rm W/a Vu -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rm w/ a Vu (August 23, 1999) Story by: David Greenwalt & Jane Espenson Teleplay by: Jane Espenson Teaser INT. OUTER OFFICE - EVENING (DAY 1) CORDELIA and DOYLE are standing by the coffee maker. She is holding a small bag of trash. CORDELIA I've had it with these cheap trash bags. They leak and break and they end up costing us more. DOYLE I believe it. CORDELIA Yeah. It was a great audition - I was all about things leaking. How could they not pick me? The PHONE on Cordy's desk RINGS. DOYLE They don't know what they missed. CORDELIA They gave it to a blond who showed up in a skintight leather catsuit. She's supposed to be a housewife! PHONE RINGS again. CORDELIA (cont'd) She looked ridiculous, like Catwoman taking out the cat- trash. DOYLE Are you going to answer the phone? ANGEL is in the doorway from the outer office. ANGEL Good question. CORDELIA Oh. Right. Oops. Machine got it. The machine has picked up. CORDELIA'S RECORDED VOICE (V.O.) "Angel Investigations. We help the hopeless. If that's you, leave a message." Angel shakes his head and disappears back into his office. AURA (V.O.) Hey, Cordy, it's Aura. Just wanted to check in, see how you were- AURA'S VOICE FADES as Cordy turns the sound down. DOYLE You don't want to talk to her? CORDELIA Not just yet. She's going to ask about where I'm living and how the acting is going. And I'm just not up for leading the parade of pain. I'll do it when things are better. Cordy starts gathering her things together to go home. DOYLE Well I can't help with the acting, but, about the apartment CORDELIA What? DOYLE Well, if you ever want to, you know, spend one night out of that place, you just give me a call. Cordy is heading for the door. CORDELIA Well, stranger things have happened. No, wait. They really haven't. See you tomorrow. (called out) Bye Angel, I'm taking off! And she exits. After a second, Doyle gets up and heads into: INT. INNER OFFICE - CONTINUOUS Doyle enters. Angel sits at his desk, reading. Doyle sits down, puts his feet up. DOYLE She's really something, isn't she? It's like wrestling a tiger just to get to know her. Tell me stuff. ANGEL What stuff? DOYLE About Cordelia! ANGEL Well, I know she can't type or file. Until today I had some hope regarding the phone. DOYLE Oh yeah, who's Aura? ANGEL Aura? Oh, I think she was one of Cordelia's group. (amused) People called them the Cordettes. Bunch of girls from wealthy families. They ruled the high school, decided what was in and who was popular. It was like the Soviet secret police if they cared a lot about shoes. DOYLE And she was the richest one of all? 'Cause she talks like she used to have servants made of solid gold or something. ANGEL Pretty much, until her parents lost it all. Riches to rags. DOYLE Hell of a come down. ANGEL Yeah. But she's doing all right INT. CORDELIA'S OLD APARTMENT - NIGHT Cordy enters her crappy apartment. It's dark, the only light coming from the hall. She has to struggle to get the key out of the lock. Finally she YANKS it out, her elbow smacking sharply into the door frame behind her. CORDELIA Ow! Damn it. She snaps on the lights. They FLICKER eerily, but finally, grudgingly stay on. She shoots a warning look at the light fixture. She crosses to her rusted sink and tries to pour herself a glass of water. The tap MOANS like a person in pain, and finally spits out a single gush of rusty water, splashing onto Cordy's blouse. No more water comes out. CORDELIA (cont'd) Yeah, well, of course. She sets down the still-empty glass. She sits on her bed and reaches for the TV remote. She hits "On" and the TV comes on just in time for her to see a FAT ROACH scurry across the screen. Cordy jumps and picks up the phone, dials quickly. CORDELIA (cont'd) (into phone) Hi, this is Cordelia Chase in 4B. I thought you were going to have the exterminator in here today Well, if he had been here, don't you think there'd be- She shifts her weight CRUNCH. She looks down, lifts her foot to reveal a DEAD ROACH. And there nearby another one. The shot widens to reveal that the carpet is littered with dead roaches, feet to the air. It's like that shot of Scarlett amid the wounded men in Gone with the Wind. CORDELIA (cont'd) Oh God. She hangs up quickly and starts dialing a new number. INT. DOYLE'S APARTMENT HALLWAY - NIGHT Unsuspecting, possibly whistling, Doyle strolls down a plain hallway toward his apartment. He can hear the PHONE RINGING INSIDE. He quickly unlocks his door and enters INT. DOYLE'S APARTMENT and finds himself face-to-face with GRIFF, a fearsome demon - a big bruiser with a face and body that literally bulge with muscles, many of them not corresponding to human anatomy. He stands between Doyle and the STILL-RINGING PHONE. GRIFF Hello, Doyle. BLACK OUT. END OF TEASER Act One INT. DOYLE'S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS Doyle faces Griff. Doyle tries to look calm, but his hand shakes as he puts his keys back in his pocket. DOYLE I think you have the wrong place. I was very clear about canceling the maid service- GRIFF You owe money. DOYLE (sadly) Ahh. It's always about money. What about friendship and family, all those things that are priceless like they say in the credit card commercial? (off Griff's look) Yes. Right. You're a demon with focus, I can see that. I I have money for you right here. Doyle edges warily past Griff. He goes to a drawer, starts to open it. Griff is there suddenly, pressing the drawer closed on Doyle's hand. Doyle winces. GRIFF You're not stupid enough to have a gun in there, right? DOYLE Me? No way, man. Look. As Griff leans in, Doyle suddenly RIPS out the drawer and SLAMS Griff across the muscled face with it. Griff ROARS. Doyle is off running, scrambling out the door and down the hall. Griff is right on his heels. INT. ANGEL'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Angel isn't visible. CLASSICAL MUSIC plays and a running shower is audible O.S. Then: SFX: DOOR BUZZER The shower sound stops. SFX: BUZZER AGAIN Angel emerges from his room, soaking wet, towel around his waist. He opens the door. Cordy is there with an overnight bag. She pushes in past him, genuinely distressed. CORDELIA Oh God, Angel. It's so terrible. Don't even look at me, I'm such a mess. I'm the lowest of the lowest, and you're gonna want to grab my suitcase out in the hall there. ANGEL What happened? She heads farther into the apartment and Angel trials behind. CORDELIA My apartment. It's like the barrio or the projects or whatever. And I live there. I'm a girl from the projects. ANGEL I don't know about that- She turns off his stereo, and moves a chair a little bit until it's more to her liking. CORDELIA Get this. I tried to call Doyle. I've sunk that low. But no answer. So here I am. Not that you're the last resort, it's just there's nowhere else left to go. She hands him her bag. He struggles with it and his towel. CORDELIA (cont'd) Roaches. Live ones, dead ones. All skinny feet and creepy antlers. ANGEL Antlers? CORDELIA Oh God, I wonder how many stowed away in that bag He trails behind her helplessly, clutching his towel to him protectively, trying to hold the bag at arm's length. CORDELIA (cont'd) Also the water is brown and spurty and not hot and I'm dying for a shower. I actually smell. I never smell. I didn't know I could. Cordy, back in civilization, is starting to bounce back. CORDELIA (cont'd) I'm just going to have to stay here 'til I find a decent place, however long that takes. And when I do, you're completely invited over. Hey, you can just dump my stuff on your couch or, you know, let me have the bed, whatever you feel good about. Also my suitcase is still in the hall. She heads toward his room CORDELIA (cont'd) Your shower's in here, right? You have mousse? Oh, of course you do. And she exits. Off Angel's stunned face we: DISSOLVE TO: INT. OFFICE - MORNING (DAY 2) Doyle pushes open the door, looks around a little warily. He enters - no one else is there. As he looks at his watch we get a look at his hand, lividly bruised from when it was shut in the drawer. He heads for the elevator. INT. ANGEL'S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS Doyle enters from the elevator. DOYLE Angel? You around? Doyle enters the kitchen to find Cordelia there, wearing a robe and toweling off her wet hair, trying to catch a reflection in any shiny surface. CORDELIA Hey, Doyle. You ever get that feeling like you just can't shower enough? Like something happened and you'll never be clean again? DOYLE What- Angel enters from the bedroom, also wearing a robe. ANGEL You got peanut butter on the bed. CORDELIA Really? I don't think so. I'll look. DOYLE No, no, no. As Doyle stares back and forth between Cordy and Angel, she exits into the bedroom. DOYLE (cont'd) Angel, man, how could you? ANGEL How could I what? DOYLE You know I'm crazy about her. And I was wearing her down, too. But no, handsome brooding vampire guy has to swoop in, all sensitive mouth and overhanging forehead Angel touches his forehead self-consciously. DOYLE (cont'd) How about leaving a few scraps for the homely looking fellas that don't turn evil when they get some? ANGEL Cordelia stayed over because something's wrong with her place. I was on the sofa. DOYLE Oh. He paces a little, calms down. DOYLE (cont'd) That's all right, I suppose. Cordy reenters, now dressed. CORDELIA Angel, at some point in recent history, you got peanut butter on your bed and it's gross. I think you'll have to change the sheets. ANGEL I don't eat. CORDELIA Well then I don't even want to think about how it got there. Angel exits to the bedroom, exasperated. DOYLE Hey, Cordy. You look great, by the way. CORDELIA I wouldn't know. Man doesn't own a mirror. Like it'd kill him to not see himself? DOYLE Ha ha. Listen, I was wondering, did anyone call lately? Asking about me? Maybe wanting my address? CORDELIA Oh, yeah. Yesterday. Your cousin called. With one of those names from your part of England- DOYLE My part of England? CORDELIA Connor or Fergus. Did he find you? DOYLE Uh-huh. He did. But, see, a bit of a warning might have been nice. Give a fella a chance to neat the place up, you know. CORDELIA Geez, I only helped the guy as a favor to you. Maybe next time I won't bother. DOYLE It's not like you even have to pick up the phone, you know. You let your friend Aura just hang there. CORDELIA Okay. Here's an idea, how 'bout you make a list of people you're too good to talk to- Angel reenters, having heard the raised voices. ANGEL What's going on? DOYLE Nothing. ANGEL You've got a bruise on your hand. DOYLE (quickly) Badminton. ANGEL And the reason there's a wet towel on my leather chair? Cordy smiles. DISSOLVE TO: INT. ANGEL'S APARTMENT - LATER Doyle is heading down the stairs behind the elevator, coming from the office into the apartment. He grabs a book off a table and is about to turn back around when he sees Cordelia on her knees in the kitchen. He walks softly over to her. DOYLE What are you doing? She JUMPS, startled. She's been trying to slide a butter knife under the edge of the kitchen linoleum. CORDELIA I just (she jabs at the floor) I just want to see if he's got hardwood under here. I mean, I might have to be here for a while. Doyle has now noticed a small row of trophies on a shelf, including a Sunnydale High diploma. He looks at them. DOYLE The things you learn. I had no idea Angel was "Queen of the Winter Ball." CORDELIA Those are mine. (struggles with the floor) Ooof. Tough stuff. DOYLE Your high school diploma is all burned. CORDELIA It was a rough ceremony. She gets up, comes over and looks at the display with him. CORDELIA (cont'd) There it is. My whole life, pre-here. Five trophies with some of the shiny worn off. DOYLE It's good though, that you don't mind looking back. I never look back. CORDELIA Look back at what? Before Doyle can answer: ANGEL (O.S.) Doyle? You down here? Doyle steps farther into the living area Angel is half-way down the stairs. ANGEL There you are. There's a big guy here to see you. I'll tell him you'll be right up. DOYLE Okay! Great! Angel has gone back up and as Cordelia looks on, bewildered, Doyle RUNS for his life, into the hallway by the bedroom, heading for the stairs into: INT. ANGEL'S BUILDING LOBBY Doyle emerges from the stairway into the lobby. He turns to sprint for the front door and finds himself face-to-face with Angel, who leans casually against a wall. DOYLE It's not nice to trick people. ANGEL You gonna tell me what's going on? INT. LOBBY - SHORT TIME LATER Angel and Doyle lean against a railing. ANGEL You don't even know who this demon's collecting for? DOYLE Look, here's how it works. I owe some people. Other people owe me. I do a favor for some guy, and the debt goes away. It's a system of checks and balances. ANGEL And some of your checks didn't balance. Doyle shrugs. DOYLE It'll work out. It just takes a little diplomacy. The kind of thing you're so good at, actually. (casually) Say, maybe you'd like taking a crack at it? Angel leans back, not committing himself. ANGEL We all have problems. It's about priorities. And at the moment, I have a bigger problem than you do. DOYLE Bigger than a Kailiff demon? ANGEL Much. And I'm thinking you could help me with mine, and maybe I could help you with yours. DOYLE Man, I don't know. I mean, what's your problem, exactly? 'Cause, you know, vampire business- Cordelia clears her throat in the office doorway. CORDELIA Hi. I was wondering if you had any linoleum glue? For if it started curling up all over? ANGEL (weary) I'll be there in a minute. After she's gone, Angel turns back to Doyle. ANGEL (cont'd) Find her an apartment and I'll deal with your demon. DISSOLVE TO: INT. DINGY APARTMENT HALLWAY - DAY A run-down hallway. A crying baby can be heard from inside one of the apartments. Cordy is holding the classifieds with lots of ads circled. She and Doyle trail behind a manager. DOYLE I wish you'd let me call my guy. CORDELIA I'm not getting an apartment through "some guy." He probably judges property value on how long the bus ride is to the track. DOYLE It can't be any worse than this, can it? CORDELIA You can't tell anything from a hallway. They reach the apartment the manager has opened. They enter: INT. BAD APARTMENT - DAY A bad apartment, small and bare, with streaky dirty walls. DOYLE (rubbing it in) Hey, you're right. You know what I smell in here? Cordy shoots him a "please don't tell me" look. DOYLE (cont'd) Potential. CORDELIA The next place'll be better. INT. VERY BAD APARTMENT - DAY Cordy and Doyle look at a very bad apartment shown by an intense YOUNG MAN. This apartment is a partitioned-off area of an old factory loft. YOUNG MAN it's like a community, you know? We share all the upkeep and chores Cordelia looks into a tiny bathroom area, bare toilet and sink separated from the rest of the room only by a curtain. DOYLE Convenient. CORDELIA And my urination just hasn't been public enough lately. YOUNG MAN We don't believe in barriers. It's the first rule of the Great Leader. You can come to the meetings if you want. Every morning at five. CORDELIA Okay, that's just a touch early for me. YOUNG MAN Oh, you'll be up. The chanting starts at four. INT. WORSE APARTMENT - DAY Cordy and Doyle look at an apartment shown by a DISGUSTING MAN with a persistent itch. This place is a fortress: lots of locks and dead bolts on the door. While Doyle looks out the barred window, Disgusting Man steps in closer to Cordy and lowers his voice. DISGUSTING MAN So, uh.. you a single gal? Gonna be living here alone? 'Cause I'm right across the hall and you can sleep easy knowing I'm the only other soul in the world with a key to that door. You think about that while you look, okay? Disgusting Man exits. Doyle comes over to Cordy. CORDELIA Okay just out of curiosity you say you know a guy? DOYLE Finally. What is it with you and Angel? You've gotta do everything the hard way. INT. DOYLE'S APARTMENT - DAY - LATER Angel is in Doyle's apartment, looking for clues on the discarded drawer - traces of demon blood, demon hair. Suddenly an arm is thrown around Angel's throat from behind. Griff is on Angel, pulling his head back, almost lifting his feet off the floor. INT. CORDELIA'S APARTMENT - DAY It's perfect. A living room/kitchen area, nicely furnished, airy, with a hardwood floor and a stunning view of our pretty city. A small chandelier hangs from the ceiling. Cordelia looks around as if viewing the Church of Saint Cordelia. Her eyes fill with tears. Doyle can't take his eyes off her. CORDELIA (whispering) Have you ever seen anything so beautiful? It takes Doyle a second to find his voice. DOYLE No. Never. CORDELIA It's perfect. Really really it's just perfect. She ducks into the bedroom, returns fast. CORDELIA (cont'd) (to the Manager) It's amazing in there. What's wrong with it? MANAGER (gently) There's nothing wrong with it. The previous tenant just broke their lease last week. I don't know how you even heard about it. Cordy looks at Doyle. He smiles. MANAGER (cont'd) It's quite a bargain. And the furniture comes with. Do you think you want it? Cordy takes a second, overwhelmed by her luck. CORDELIA I I used to have this. I was MANAGER I guess it's your lucky day. CORDELIA I used to have those too. DOYLE She'll take it. MANAGER I'll fill out the rental forms. The manager moves off to the kitchen counter, leaving Cordy and Doyle alone. CORDELIA First thing, I hire someone to take out that wall. DOYLE You said it was perfect. CORDELIA Yes. And part of it being perfect is there being one tiny flaw for me to fix. DOYLE Ah must be why you find me so fascinating. She heads for the window, looking out at the view. He follows her. Suddenly overcome, she throws herself into his arms, gives him a hug, then she pulls away and spins giddily like Mary Tyler Moore. CORDELIA I love my apartment. Your guy found a perfect place. I love your guy. DOYLE Yeah. A pretty good day's work for us, I think. I take care of your problem, Angel takes care of mine. All in all, things are pretty sweet. Then, behind them, the wall that Cordelia disparaged BULGES out as if a FACE were pressing against a sheet of rubber. It gapes eerily at Cordelia, then disappears back into the wall. BLACK OUT. END OF ACT ONE Act Two INT. DOYLE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Angel, still caught in Griff's grasp, MORPHS into vampface. Angel SNARLS and kicks backwards, connecting hard. Griff ROARS and drops him, but moves in fast again, not reacting to the vampface. He throws Angel off balance with one swipe against Angel's head and plunges a knotted fist at Angel's midsection. Angel bends with the blow to the head, and twists to avoid the fist. He catches the fist, and lightning-fast, twists Griff's arm behind his back. Griff arches, ROARING, and Angel slams him to his knees with a blow to the top of the demon's knotty head. Angel hovers over Griff like a storm cloud, gripping the muscled head, threatening to break the thick neck. ANGEL My name is Angel. What's yours? GRIFF Screw you. Angel slams Griff's head into a wall. ANGEL My name is Angel. What's yours? GRIFF Griff. ANGEL Good start. Who do you work for? GRIFF (sarcastic) He never gave me his card. Angel twists Griff's head. Griff gives in: GRIFF (cont'd) Don't know his name. He gets his orders to me. ANGEL You can get a message back to him? Griff nods and Angel releases him, helps him to his feet. Griff looks at him curiously. Angel DE-MORPHS. GRIFF You're letting me go? ANGEL No. I'm letting you up. You were sent to collect from Doyle? GRIFF At first. But I'm not seeing any money. So now, Doyle gets dead. A message for the others. ANGEL And your boss never gets his money. That's a pretty expensive message when you add whatever he's paying you to do the job. GRIFF (defensive) My fees are very competitive. ANGEL I can get Doyle to pay you the money. You have my guarantee. GRIFF I saw what I saw, right? You're a vampire. How come you're helping a little demon half-breed? Angel's demeanor hardens when he hears the slur. ANGEL It's a good offer. You should take it. On the other hand, you're making me want to fight some more. You get lucky you might last ten minutes. Really lucky and you're unconscious for the last five. GRIFF You get Doyle to pay and he's safe. ANGEL Thanks. Good meeting. INT. CORDELIA'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - NIGHT Cordelia sleeps, unaware and vulnerable. A radio and a glass of water sit on the night stand next to her. The radio turns on by itself and changes stations, landing on the Mills Brothers singing "You Always Hurt the One You Love," or possibly Peggy Lee singing "Why Don't You Do Right?" The drawers of her dresser open one by one, invisible hands touching and pulling at her nightgowns and undergarments. A SHADOW falls across Cordelia's bed. And a WHISPERING BEGINS, as of two people murmuring to each other just outside of earshot. You can't hear the words, but the sound conveys menace anyway. One of the dresser drawers SLAMS shut. Cordy wakes up with a gasp, eyes wide. INT. INNER OFFICE - NIGHT Angel and Doyle talk in Angel's office. Doyle paces. DOYLE I have to pay? Man, I should've just handled it myself. I mean, I don't have the money. They can't get blood out of a stone. ANGEL They can get blood out of you. There was a price on your head, Doyle. They weren't even looking for money anymore. Doyle blanches this is new information to him. ANGEL (cont'd) Why are you surprised? You know this system inside out. This is how they play the game. DOYLE I guess I just I didn't think it would happen. I guess, thanks, man. You prob'ly saved my life. ANGEL Can I ask you something? Why do you live like this? DOYLE Why not live like this? What's wrong with it? (off Angel's look) Yeah, well. I guess it's the kind of life keeps your expectations from getting too high. Seems like you'd understand that. ANGEL I do. I just don't know why that's important to you. This kind of life, sort of, picked me. You don't have to do it this way. What happened? Doyle shrugs, not ready to share his life story. DOYLE Don't worry about it, okay? And things aren't all gloom in Doyle-city. There's bright spots. Like Cordelia. She loves that new place so much, she's gonna be grateful for a long, long time. INT. CORDELIA'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - NIGHT Cordelia sits up and stares around her, trying to identify the mysterious sounds. She sees the radio is on and turns it off. But another set of sounds arise, a mysterious SCRAPE-TAP-TAP-TAP noise and a POUNDING. Cordy tries to turn on the lamp, but it doesn't work. While she's leaning over toward the night stand, she notices something: the glass of water is quietly, violently BOILING. She touches the glass - hot - she pulls back. The SCRAPE-TAP-TAPPING and POUNDING get louder. Cordy pulls the blankets up around her. She sits in the dark and shivers. CORDELIA (to herself) It was too good. I just knew it. (to the room) I'm from Sunnydale, you know. You're not scaring me. The camera PANS down to the base of the bed and we see that it's HOVERING several inches off the floor. EXT. LOS ANGELES - DAWN Sunrise over the skyline. INT. CORDELIA'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - MORNING (DAY 2) The SOUNDS continue. Cordy is still sitting up in bed, hugging her knees and shivering. She's been waiting for the dawn. As the sunlight starts to fill the room, the eerie sounds fade. She relaxes. Then THUD the bed drops to the floor. She YELPS. INT. CORDELIA'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - MORNING It's full bright morning now. Cordy has shaken off her night time fears and is loading toiletries into drawers and cabinets. She looks at her reflection in the vanity mirror. CORDELIA (convincing herself) Bright shiny morning. Nothing bad here. She opens the medicine cabinet, puts something in, and closes it again. As it closes, the mirrored door catches a reflection. For a split second we see an OLD DEAD-LOOKING WOMAN standing behind Cordy. Cordelia doesn't see it and when she turns to leave the room, no one is there. INT. CORDELIA'S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM Cordy is rearranging the furniture. She pulls a chair into place. While she is turned away, it slides back a few inches to where it was. She notices, adjusts it again. It slides back again, this time as she watches. Cordy grasps the chair firmly, YANKS it to where she wants it. When she lets go WHAM, the chair slams against the wall and breaks. Cordy jumps back, ending up by the window where the CURTAIN PULL SUDDENLY WRAPS ITSELF AROUND HER WRIST. Startled, she pulls free. She puts on a brave front, shouting out despite her fear: CORDELIA You know what? I get it. You're a ghost. You're dead, big accomplishment. Move on. You see a light anywhere? Go towards it, okay? A cold wind blows through the apartment, making papers rustle and the chandelier swing. Cordy shivers and her hair blows back. But she puts on the brave front again, hoping her voice doesn't shake too much. CORDELIA (cont'd) Ooh. Cold wind. Scary. What're you gonna do, chap me to death? What else you got? The wind stops. Then there is a KNOCK AT THE DOOR. Cordy jumps, her brave faade showing some cracks. Another KNOCK. Cordy backs farther away from the door. ANGEL (O.S.) Cordelia? Are you in there? Cordelia opens the door, revealing Angel and Doyle. Angel awkwardly holds a potted cactus. ANGEL Cactus. Housewarming present. Cordy, nervous, stands in the doorway, blocking them. CORDELIA Um hi. Thanks. She takes the cactus. Doyle makes a move to enter. CORDELIA (cont'd) Look, I'm still getting it just the way I want it maybe in a day or two- Doyle pushes past her. DOYLE Hey, it looks great. You worry too much. Don't know what you had against that chair though Angel is still standing in the hall. CORDELIA Oh, that's right. You can't come in- Angel steps into the apartment. CORDELIA (cont'd) Wait. What about the rule? ANGEL You said when you got a place I was "completely invited over." CORDELIA What? I didn't even have the place then! These rules are completely screwed up-Oh God, don't touch that! She just noticed that Doyle is using the curtain pull that grabbed her. DOYLE Closing these so our boss doesn't burst into flames. That all right with you? CORDELIA Oh. Yeah. I guess. Curtains now closed, Angel moves farther, looks around appreciatively. ANGEL Hey, this is nice. How about a tour? CORDELIA Uh-huh. This is the kitchen. Living room. I'm going to remove that wall. And that's about it. Thanks for the cactus. She motions toward the door, but they don't go. ANGEL I can't believe you can afford this When Doyle and Angel are looking the other way, A PAIR OF SCISSORS FLIES AT ANGEL'S HEAD. Cordy catches them neatly. She opens a drawer, intending to tuck them away. Inside the empty drawer another FACE pushes up from the flat bottom surface, staring at her. She closes the drawer, smiling brightly. CORDELIA Hey, I bet you two want lunch. There's a place down the street- A heavy metal floor lamp topples over, almost hitting Doyle. He turns to see it looming. DOYLE Hey! Angel catches it just in time and turns to stare at Cordy. CORDELIA Oops. That's been doing that all morning. I think the floor's uneven. DOYLE That thing lunged at me! ANGEL What's going on? CORDELIA You're right. It's not the floor. It's a very, very bad lamp. Angel points to something behind Cordelia on that wall. Slowly, fearfully, she turns and looks. "DIE" is appearing on the wall in fresh running blood. The word fades in, as if bleeding through from behind. DOYLE Dear sweet- ANGEL Come on. Angel tugs at Cordy's arm, but she doesn't move. CORDELIA I'm not giving up the apartment. ANGEL It's haunted! CORDELIA It's rent-controlled! ANGEL Come on. CORDELIA I can deal. It's not so bad, with a ghost. It clearly brought the price down. DOYLE Cordy, it says "die." CORDELIA Maybe it's not done. Maybe it's "diet." That's friendly. A little judgmental, sure Doyle grabs Cordy's other arm, and between the two of them, they pull her gently toward the door. CORDELIA (cont'd) I'm not giving it up! It's perfect and beautiful. It's so me! I need it! ANGEL You don't need this. It's just a place. You're more than that. CORDELIA How? How am I more than that? Doyle can't stand to see her so distraught. DOYLE We can cleanse it. (to Angel) We can try, can't we? Put the ghost to rest CORDELIA (to Angel, hopeful) Can we? ANGEL We can try. But we have to go now. We'll figure it out at the office. Angel and Doyle get Cordy out the door. As she goes: CORDELIA Listen good, Casper! You haven't won a thing. I will die before I give up this apartment! The door closes. An OLD WOMAN'S VOICE fills the apartment: MOM (V.O.) If that's what you think is best. INT. ANGEL'S OFFICE - DAY (AFTERNOON) Cordy makes herself a cup of coffee while Doyle and Angel work at the computer. DOYLE Lots of stuff here about the building. Construction bids, city inspections ANGEL Tenants. We need people who lived there. CORDELIA And died there. That's the ingredients for "ghost," right? DOYLE Yeah, yeah. This isn't easy, you know. He types more stuff into the computer and Angel comes over to the coffee and Cordelia. He pours himself a cup. ANGEL You know, this really is just a place to live. CORDELIA No. It's more. It's beautiful and if it goes away, it's like ANGEL Like what? CORDELIA Like I'm still getting punished. ANGEL Punished? For what? CORDELIA I don't know. For how I was. For everything I said in high school just 'cause I could get away with it. And then it all ended, and I had to pay. But the apartment I could be me again. Punishment over, welcome back to your life. Like, like I couldn't be too awful if I get to have a place like that. It's just like you. ANGEL Working for redemption. CORDELIA Um I meant because you used to have that mansion. DOYLE Hey! I got something. Angel and Cordy hurry over to Doyle and the computer. DOYLE (cont'd) Ladies and gentlemen, we have a death. First person ever lived in your place: Mrs. Maude Pearson. ANGEL How'd you get that? DOYLE Name carved over the entrance to the building. Pearson Arms. I checked obits for Pearson and we got lucky. Turns out Maude Pearson built the place and took a unit there too. And in 1946 she dropped dead of a heart attack in Cordelia's living room at age 57. CORDELIA That's it. That's her. Angel picks up a tome, flipping through it. ANGEL I don't know. It's not a violent death. Ghosts are usually- CORDELIA It's her. I know it. The place has a weird little old lady smell. Like, like, violets and Aspercreme. DOYLE They didn't find the body for three weeks, wasn't violets there at the end, I'm thinking. CORDELIA This is easy! Little old lady ghost. Probably hanging around 'cause she thinks she left the iron on. Let's get us a nice cleansing spell and do this thing! ANGEL (referencing tome) It's not an easy spell. Hawthorn berries and lungwort and (remembering) Bile. We need bile. I don't know if we can get everything- DOYLE I can. There's a guy in Koreatown does these spells all the time. I'll get the stuff from him. CORDELIA Oh goody, another of Doyle's guys. Tell, me is this the same great guy that found me my poltergeistalicious apartment? Before Doyle can retort: ANGEL Doyle. Go. Get what you need. Doyle exits. ANGEL (cont'd) (to Cordy) I'm going to try to get us more information. Maybe Kate can find something. You wait here. Angel exits. CORDELIA Old lady ghost. How come Patrick Swayze's never dead when you need him? INT. OFFICE - NIGHT (STILL DAY 2) Night has fallen and Cordy is sorting through books in Angel's inner office when the phone rings. By the time she gets to the phone, the machine has picked up. CORDELIA'S RECORDED VOICE (V.O.) "Angel Investigations. We help the hopeless. If that's you, leave a message." ANGEL (V.O.) Cordelia? Are you there? I think we can end this whole thing. Meet me- Cordy has reached the phone. She picks up. CORDELIA I'm here. 'Bout time you called. You got something? ANGEL (V.O.) Meet Doyle and me at the apartment. CORDELIA Okay. She hangs up and heads out the door. INT. CORDELIA'S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Cordy enters and glances around. No Angel. ANGEL (O.S.) Cordelia? I'm in the bedroom. Cordelia enters INT. CORDELIA'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - NIGHT It's empty. Puzzled, Cordelia turns to leave. And ends up face-to-face with a CREEPY OLD WOMAN GHOST, sunken-cheeked and dead - the woman from the mirror. Call her MOM. MOM (in Angel's voice) You got my call. BLACK OUT. END OF ACT TWO Act Three INT. POLICE STATION - NIGHT Angel and KATE are using an interrogation room as a research center. Kate works at a computer. KATE I wish I could be more help. ANGEL That's okay. Just knowing things that didn't happen, it's a help. Eliminating possibilities. KATE Now you're talking like a detective. ANGEL I am a detective. KATE Well, see, the thing about detectives? They have resumes and business licenses and last names. Pop-stars and popes, they're the one-name guys. ANGEL (deadpan) You got me. I'm a pope. She smiles at his joke, pleased that he can be that loose around her. A silent policeman enters and hands Kate a file. She glances at it. KATE Davis, you're beautiful! (to Angel) Let's take a look. The policeman exits and Angel and Kate bend over the file. ANGEL I wasn't sure you'd have records that old. KATE Neither did I. Let's see. Maude Pearson. There was an investigation into the death. Yikes, hand-written notes by the original detective. Look at that. I thought everyone had beautiful penmanship back then. ANGEL Not really. (catches himself) I suppose. Kate is reading ahead. KATE (puzzling over the writing) Okay, this guy, Detective Randall, he thought the death was suspicious. The M.E. called it a heart attack, but seems like there were problems with the son. He was Dennis Pearson, lived with her. They argued a lot. Angel is looking at the rest of the pages in the file. ANGEL What about? KATE A girl. His fiancee, mom didn't like her and Dennis skips town with her the day mom drops dead, what a coincidence. Cops never caught him. ANGEL (to himself) An un-avenged murder KATE Sounds like. ANGEL But there haven't been any deaths at the same apartment since then. KATE You saw me check. No murders, not even domestic dispute calls- ANGEL (thinking) Not murders. Suicide. (off her look) There's a kind of, a kind of killer that does that. Kate goes to the computer, starts typing. KATE Makes it look like suicide? I don't know, there's always signs-- Angel leans in over her shoulder, too wrapped up in what he's doing to notice how close he is to her. She notices, though. ANGEL There. KATE Margo Dressner, 1959. And Jenny Kim, 1965. Natalie Davis, five years ago. All in the same apartment, this doesn't make sense. ANGEL I need a phone. INT. OFFICE / INT. POLICE STATION - NIGHT Doyle, carrying a bag full of magic supplies and a spell book, is just letting himself in as the phone rings. He picks up, tries to remember the salutation: DOYLE Um, "Angel Investigations. We hope you're helpless." No, wait- INT. POLICE STATION - NIGHT Angel on the phone. ANGEL It's me. Put Cordelia on. INTERCUT between the two locations: DOYLE She's not here. Wait a sec, there's a message Doyle hits "play" on the answering machine ANGEL'S VOICE (V.O.) Cordelia? Are you there? I think we can end this whole thing. Meet me- ANGEL That's not me. It hits both of them at the same time. Cordy has been lured into a terrible trap. INT. CORDELIA'S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Cordy is pulling at the front door with all her strength, but it won't open. The strange rhythmic SCRAPE-TAP- TAP NOISE starts again. She turns away from the door, into the room, and we see that the FURNITURE HAS CHANGED into 1940s style pieces. CORDELIA What did you do to the furniture? An invisible force throws her up against THAT wall. She runs her hand down the wall and it seems to leave trails of blood behind it, as if her fingertips had been clawed bloody. She turns away, but a withered old hand comes into frame behind her, reaching for her shoulder. It clamps onto her and spins her around to face GHOST- MOM again. Mom starts out soft-spoken, kindly: MOM Poor thing. You don't fit in around here, do you? Too bad you wouldn't leave my son alone. CORDELIA Your son. Oh. Okay, see, whoever you're talking to? It's not me. My name is Cordelia. Mom gets a little harsher. MOM That's the name of a cheap small-town tramp trying to sound better than she is. You're not good enough for my boy. This will never be your home! CORDELIA This is my home! My friends will come here! MOM You don't have friends. Why would anyone care about you? Nobody really cares. Cordy closes her eyes and clamps her hands over her ears. Mom is now full-blown evil. MOM (cont'd) Look at your cheap shoes, you've almost worn through them. You don't deserve to live here. You don't deserve to associate with good people. You don't deserve anything. ANGEL'S CAR - NIGHT Angel drives fast. Doyle is in the passenger seat, bag of magic supplies on his lap. ANGEL We were right about the ghost. It's the old woman, Mrs. Pearson. But she didn't die of a heart attack. Her son killed her. DOYLE A murder victim. ANGEL Right. Filled with rage and, and confusion - that's why she's been killing people. She can't rest until the truth comes out. DOYLE That's a pretty strong ghost. Doyle glances nervously at the bag of supplies. The unspoken thought: is it going to be enough? DOYLE (cont'd) I shoulda got more bile. INT. CORDELIA'S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Cordy makes another run for the door, but Mom clamps a hand around her wrist, stops her short. MOM I gave you a chance to leave. CORDELIA I will. I will leave. Please. MOM Oh, I don't think so. The chandelier CRASHES to the ground right by Cordy. She looks up in alarm. The chain that attached the fixture to the ceiling is EXTENDING, reaching down for her. The chain twitches and HISSES, and loops around Cordy's neck, tying itself into a noose. MOM (cont'd) You're worthless. You've never been kind. You've never been smart. You're a user. You're nothing. The chain is pulling tighter now, lifting Cordy to her toes. MOM (cont'd) Everyone would be glad if you were dead. CORDELIA No! MOM Oh, come on. If anyone really cared about you, would you be here? Cordy gradually stops struggling and listens as if hypnotized. MOM (cont'd) People let you end up here because they were happy to see you fail. Cordy's feet no longer touch the ground. Angel and Doyle burst in. Mom vanishes before they can see her. Angel runs to Cordy and pulls her free of the chain. Doyle helps settle her gently to the ground, where she curls up. Bruises mark her neck. CORDELIA (hoarsely) The wall. The furniture. The blood. She's doing it all. Angel looks around. The wall is clean, the furniture is back to being how it was when Cordy moved in. DOYLE She's retreating. CORDELIA No, she's not. She'll be back. She's stronger than us. And she knows me. ANGEL We can stop her. Doyle unpacks the duffel bag. There are books and herbs and vessels witchcraft stuff. CORDELIA No. No one can stop her. ANGEL She's made a connection with you, right? She thinks you're someone. Someone she blames for her murder Cordy is in her own world. The wind starts again and everyone has to talk louder over it. And the POUNDING begins, starting off quietly. ANGEL (cont'd) Cordy? Answer me. CORDELIA I'm I'm taking her son away. She thinks I'm taking her son. ANGEL That's good. Her son was the one who killed her. You're playing a role in her delusion. That gives you power. You're the one who can stop her. She just shakes her head. Doyle removes packets of herbs from the bag. Angel grabs an old book from the bag. ANGEL (cont'd) You make the binding circle. I'll find the spell. Doyle nods. Doyle makes a stone circle on the ground as Angel reads from the book: ANGEL (cont'd) Bring the truth into the light. Let the villain be revealed that a soul can take its rightful place for eternity The POUNDING is louder now. DOYLE Here she comes. She knows what we're doing. A lamp crashes off a table-top. Books and dishes fly off shelves and crash to the ground. ANGEL We need Cordelia now. (in Latin) Adduce veritatem in lucem DOYLE Cordy. Sit up. She's closed her eyes now, curled up on her side on the floor, hands pressed over her ears. Doyle pulls her into a more upright position. Angel is still chanting: ANGEL (in Latin) Accipiat larua suam requietam. Reposcant animae suum regnum. (in English) Cordelia. Stand in the circle and strike at its center. CORDELIA (shakily) What? ANGEL You know what it means. The ghost is in contact with you. She's given you that. ANGLE: CLOSE ON CORDELIA In this shot we see something Angel and Doyle cannot. Ghost-Mom is crouched over Cordelia, whispering in her ear. Cordy's eyes fill with fresh tears and she nods. If we should happen to hear Mom, this is what she's saying: MOM (whispered) They don't care about you. They want to see you fail. They know you're a tarted-up skinny little whore with no money and no future and nothing going for you but painted good looks. And those aren't even enough to pull you out of the gutter. Doyle looks at Angel. Cordy is nodding, but no one's there. ANGEL Doyle, chant. Angel, frustrated, hands the book to Doyle. DOYLE Um, man Latin. One of those dead languages you always mean to learn ANGEL (exasperated) "V" sounds like "W" and say each vowel separately. DOYLE Yeah okay. (in tortured Latin) Vinci laruam in orbem. Vindicent exterus mundus suam incolam Angel kneels in front of Cordy, takes her by the arms. ANGEL You do know what to do. You can stop all of this. Do it! ANGLE: CORDELIA AND GHOST-MOM Cordy pulls away from Angel. She turns toward the old lady whom he cannot see. Ghost-Mom puts an arm around Cordy, almost as if she's protecting her from Angel. As Doyle chants he is now also scattering herbs clumsily trying to perform a two-person spell all by himself. ANGEL (cont'd) Look at you. Are you going to let her do this to you? Angel grabs Cordy's face, forcing her to look at him. ANGEL (cont'd) Damn it! You're Cordelia Chase. Are you just going to lie there like a weakling? A flying book clocks Angel in the head he shakes it off and continues. He pulls Cordy by the arm, DRAGGING her into the binding circle, being rough with her. ANGEL (cont'd) Get off your ass and be tough! You can be the biggest pain I've ever seen. Do it now! She collapses back to the floor, sobbing. CORDELIA I can't I can't She can't help him and she can't help herself. ANGEL (to Doyle) This isn't going to work. The house is shaking, moans and hisses echoing all around them. DOYLE It's getting dodgy in here, man. ANGEL (shouted) We have to get her out of here, this isn't safe! NOW! Doyle nods. Angel and Doyle haul Cordy to her feet and drag her toward the door. ANGLE: THE DOORWAY Where Griff and TWO MINIONS stand. Each man holds a large unsavory gun pointed directly at camera. GRIFF Nobody's going anywhere. BLACK OUT. END OF ACT THREE Act Four INT. CORDELIA'S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS Griff stands with his two minions. One of them, VIC, is a demon, somewhat less bulgy and terrifying than Griff. The other one, KEITH, is a human. They have our little group at gunpoint. They blink into the ghostly whistling wind. Griff and Vic are unfazed. Human Keith looks around, concerned. KEITH What's going on? ANGEL (to Griff) You were going to let him pay. GRIFF I lied. Gave me a chance to load up with stuff so I can kill both of you. Suddenly GHOST-MOM materializes in front of the bad guys. MOM (screaming) No more people!! Keith and Vic jump. VIC (weakly) I'm not people KEITH What the hell is this? GRIFF Ignore her! It's just a ghost. Griff brings up his gun and aims it at Doyle. DOYLE Wait Ghost Mom materializes in a new place, directly behind Keith. MOM GET OUT!!! All the light bulbs in the apartment BURST at the same time it sounds like gunshots. Griff fires at Doyle but the shot goes high because Doyle is reacting to the broken bulbs: he's knocking Cordy to the ground, trying to cover her with his body. Keith spins in panic and fires his gun at Ghost-Mom the bullet goes right through her, of course, and breaks off a corner of some pretty molding. MOM (cont'd) You BROKE it! Keith drops his gun and runs out of the apartment. Angel launches himself at Griff, who's trying to get off another shot at Doyle. He PUNCHES Griff, snapping the demon's head back. Griff swings his gun around, tries to point it at Angel's chest. Angel pushes it to the side, struggling to keep it aimed clear. ANGEL I should let you go ahead. Somehow I don't think you have wooden bullets. Griff smiles - an alarming sight. GRIFF Don't need 'em. Metal bullets coated with garlic work better. Lot more painful. Griff's strength is starting to tell. Angel is losing the struggle and the gun is slowly moving closer and closer to his chest. Angel eyes the gun, now genuinely concerned. ACROSS THE ROOM: Vic is pulling Doyle off Cordy. DOYLE I'll pay. Really. I've got a fin in my wallet right now INT. CORDELIA'S APARTMENT - KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS Mom materializes here now. MOM This is MY house! A kitchen drawer flies open. A set of three knives starts twitching inside. INT. CORDELIA'S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS Vic has pulled Doyle to his feet and has him at gunpoint. Vic is ready to shoot ACROSS THE ROOM Angel, WITH A LAST BURST OF STRENGTH, SHOVES GRIFF AND THE GUN AWAY, THEN HE KICKS at the gun, knocking it out of Griff's hand. Angel glances over at Doyle. ANGEL (warning) Knives! Doyle ducks and the knives, coming from behind him, sail over his head in close attack-plan formation. Vic sees them too late and the knives impact his chest, killing him. Griff launches himself at Angel it's a fistfight. Cordy, still shaking with fear and streaked with tears, gets to her feet and watches the action from a vantage point near the door to the bedroom. And even though we just saw Ghost-Mom in the living room, we suddenly SEE HER BEHIND CORDELIA, in the bedroom. Then a force from behind PULLS Cordelia into the bedroom, gliding her backward against her will. INT. CORDELIA'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS The door SLAMS closed and Cordy finds herself shut in with Mom. The wind blows in here too. MOM You're filth. You're just something my son tracked in here. Did you decide to take him before or after you saw his nice home, you miserable pretender? CORDELIA Stop it! I'll leave! I'm sorry your son killed you. You can have your apartment! Let me go! MOM It's too late for that. You know what happens next. Cordy sobs, helpless. INT. CORDELIA'S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS Angel is grappling with Griff in the wind vortex, slamming him with punches, winning. But then a CHAIR SLAMS into Angel, pinning his legs hard against the wall. Griff scrambles around on the floor, comes up with one of the guns and points it at Angel's head. INT. CORDELIA'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM -CONTINUOUS Cordy faces Mom. MOM Your friends are dirty. They ruined my home. You don't deserve such a nice place. CORDELIA Just let me go Cordy sinks to the floor, sobbing. MOM I knew you were trouble from the start. I'm surprised my son couldn't smell the stench of failure on you. I can. CORDELIA I'm sorry. MOM You don't deserve nice things and you will never have them again. So you better be sorry, you stupid little bitch. Stupid, scrawny, little gutter bitch. CORDELIA (helpless) I'm a bitch. MOM Take off the bed sheets. Make a noose. It's easy Cordy reaches for a corner of the bed, tugs weakly at a corner of the sheet. Then CORDELIA (realizing) I'm a bitch. MOM Go on. It'll be over soon. Cordy stops crying. She pulls her shoulders back, lifts her chin. CORDELIA I'm not a sniveling whiny little crybuffy, I'm the nastiest girl in Sunnydale history and I take crap from no one. MOM You're going to make yourself a noose and- CORDELIA Back off, polygrip. You think you're bad? All mean and haunty and picking on poor pathetic Cordy? Well get ready to haul your wrinkly translucent ass out of this place, 'cause lady, the bitch is back. MOM You think I'm going to take that from trash like you? CORDELIA I'll tell you what I think. I think you're gonna back your little ghost-bags and GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE! Ghost-Mom recoils and the whole apartment goes silent. Floating objects drop from the air. The momentum just switched sides. INT. CORDELIA'S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS Also plunged into silence. Anything that's floating DROPS. Griff and Doyle look around, startled by the change. Angel reacts instantly, though, kicking the chair out of his way and lunging at Griff. Griff's gun fires, bullet going wild, and Angel snaps Griff's neck tastefully and in self-defense. Cordy marches into the room - clearly 100% Cordelia Chase again. DOYLE What happened? You did it. CORDELIA Yeah, well, she was pissing me off. ANGEL Maybe you found her center- Cordy stiffens and her eyes roll up into her head. DOYLE Cordy? What's wrong? Cordy grabs the big metal floor lamp and swings it like a baseball bat, right at Angel's head. It just misses him and instead slams into the wall. You know the one. ANGEL Cordelia! She brings it back and swings it again. And again and again, driving it into the wall. She smashes through the plaster, to bricks, then through the bricks. Through the jagged hole, we see the desiccated face of CORPSE-DENNIS. Ghost-Mom SCREAMS. WHITE OUT. INT. CORDELIA'S APARTMENT - CIRCA 1945 - NIGHT The same apartment, with the 1940s furniture we saw briefly earlier. Peggy Lee or the Mills Brothers play on an old radio. The wall that Cordy hates is just being constructed in this vision. It is in fact a thin brick cell. Mom, now a living 57-year-old woman, works hard, layering bricks - the SCRAPING SOUND we've heard throughout is explained as she rasps mortar onto a brick and TAP-TAPS it into place. MOM Look what you're making me do, Dennis! Her son, DENNIS, is just visible in the shadows of the cell, arms bound behind him, face pale and scared. She is bricking him up in the wall. DENNIS Mom. Stop it! MOM How you gonna leave now? How you gonna marry that streetwalker now? You're nothing without me. She mortars another brick: SCRAPE-TAP-TAP-TAP. DENNIS Mom, don't do this, please! This is crazy! We push in CLOSE ON Mom, red-faced and sweating, then PULL BACK TO REVEAL it's later and she's plastering over the bricks. She mutters and grimaces as she applies the plaster with sure strokes. She doesn't react as she hears: DENNIS (O.S.) Oh, God! Mom! I can't breathe! Let me out! CLOSE ON MOM again, laboring and breathing hard. PULL BACK TO REVEAL it's even later. She's hanging a painting on the freshly-painted new wall - it's flawless. Only a faint THUMPING comes from in the wall. MOM (screaming at the wall) This hurts me more than it does you! And suddenly, it seems true. She clutches her chest, tries to steady herself, and finally crumples to the ground. Dennis' thumping continues. DENNIS (very faint now) Mom? Mom? WHIP PAN TO: INT. CORDELIA'S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - NOW Cordelia, Angel and Doyle snap back out of the flashback. They look at each other, realize they all shared it. And emerging from the hole in the wall a MILKY WHITE CGI WIND Dennis's ghost. It ROARS. DOYLE Dennis, I presume. And not happy with his Mum. Ghost Mom stands now a terrified old woman. MOM Dennis? It was for your own good. I had to do it. She would have made your life miserable-I'm sorry. Please The Dennis wind hits her and with a ROAR and a fabulous CGI effect she SCATTERS, blasted into ghost- atoms! Destroyed. Cordy drops the lamp and stands victorious. CORDELIA I knew I didn't like that wall. INT. DOYLE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - DAYS LATER (DAY 3) Angel watches while Doyle installs a second dead bolt on his apartment door. DOYLE There. Safe as houses. ANGEL You're going to live like this? DOYLE I don't see adding a dead bolt having a huge effect on my lifestyle. ANGEL You know what I mean. DOYLE Yeah well, there might be various debts outstanding. Misunderstandings, that sort of thing. ANGEL You know I'll help you out. DOYLE For which I'm grateful. ANGEL But sooner or later I'm gonna need to hear it. DOYLE Hear what? ANGEL The story of your life. DOYLE It's quite a tale, too; full of ribald adventures and beautiful damsels with loose morals- ANGEL Doyle. DOYLE (grins now) I will. Give me time. (beat) The past don't let go, does she? ANGEL She never does. INT. CORDELIA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT (DAY 3) Cordy is in her new apartment. It's even more spectacular now that the offending wall has been replaced with a graceful open arch. She sits in a comfy chair and chats on the phone. CORDELIA God, Aura, I can't believe I missed your calls. It's that incompetent girl at work. But things are great Well, a new apartment for one thing, celebrities practically on top of me. Steve Paymer, that's David Paymer's brother, he's right down the hall Well, you'd know him if you saw him. And there's an amazing view yeah, I have a roommate, but it's cool. I never see him The can of soda at her elbow slides away from her. CORDELIA (cont'd) (chiding) Hey, hey! Phantom Dennis put that back. It slides back and Cordy continues: CORDELIA (cont'd) All in all, it's working out fine. The TV comes on (we see the light and hear sports coverage don't see the screen.) Cordy covers the receiver. CORDELIA (cont'd) Dennis, when I'm on the phone that's quiet time. The TV turns off. She directs one of her quick, bright smiles into the air. CORDELIA (cont'd) Thanks! She goes back to her call. CORDELIA (cont'd) Sorry where were we tell me who's wearing what in Sunnydale No well, she never did have any taste BLACK OUT. THE END