Home
(Hyperion – Lobby)
(We pick up right where ‘Peace Out’ left off. The entire gang is staring at Lilah as she stands in the doorway of Wesley’s office.)
Angel: (stands) Lilah.
Lilah: Angel. What's the matter, ace? (walks into the lobby) Didn't think you were the only one that ever got to come back from hell around here, did ya? (clears throat) Speaking of which, could I possibly get some ice water?
Angel: What are you doing here, Lilah?
Wesley: She's not here. It's not her. It can't be.
Lilah: There's a signed dollar in your wallet that says different.
Wesley: (looks hurt, walks away) It's a lie.
Lilah: Lah. It's a Lilah. (sighs, crosses arms; to Angel) You're the one with the preternatural senses. You tell him.
Angel: It's true, Wes. It's her.
Fred: But how? She was dead.
Angel: She's still dead.
Gunn: Vampire?
Lilah: (cringes) Eww, please. Angelus drank from me, it's 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, (pulls down the scarf that covered her neck revealing a straight red scar across her neck) just in case. It's OK, lover. I never felt a thing.
Wesley: I'm sure that's true.
(Lilah covers her wound again with her scarf)
Gunn: I don't get this. If she ain't alive, and she ain't a vampire, what in the hell is she?
Lilah: I'm just a messenger. That's all. They'll be sending me straight back to hell once I'm finished here.
Gunn: Who's "they"?
Angel: Wolfram & Hart. 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. (shrugs) In fact, game over. (sits) Guess what? You win, which is why I'm here. I have been authorized to make you kids an offer.
Fred: (scoffs) You can't possibly think there's anything we'd want from you.
Lilah: I don't think you'll want it, but you'll take it, because this is the offer of a lifetime. (beat) Just not, you know...mine.
(Time Lapse)
(As Lilah sits on the couch, the AI team stares at her. They all seem uncomfortable, each rearranging and shifting as they ponder whatever it is Lilah told them. They look at her, at each other, at no one. Finally, Gunn breaks the ice.)
Gunn: You want to run that by us one more time?
Lilah: What was unclear?
Fred: I think the part where you offered us Wolfram & Hart.
Lilah: Just the L.A. Branch.
Lorne: (chuckles) ‘Just the L.A. Branch.’ (stands, irritated) Hi, from another dimension, what the hell does that mean?
Lilah: Means we give. You win. We're moving out. The senior partners are ceding this territory to you, and to prove it, they want to give you controlling interest in our L.A. Office. You get the building, assets, personnel, letterhead, paper clips, all of it. It's yours to do with as you see fit.
Fred: But there is no Los Angeles office of Wolfram & Hart. The beast destroyed it.
Lilah: Oh, it's back, restaffed and zombie-free. We're bigger, better, and shinier than ever, and we want to give it to you.
Gunn: You want to give us your evil law firm? We ain't lawyers.
Fred: Or evil. (beat) Currently.
Lilah: (stands) What we're offering you is a turnkey, state-of-the-art, multi-tasking operation. What you do with it, well, (crosses her arms) that's up to you.
Angel: Why?
Lilah: Well, I thought that was obvious. You earned it. Think of it as a reward.
Gunn: Reward for what?
Lilah: Ending world peace.
Fred: That's not what happened.
Lilah: No?
Wesley: Jasmine was creating a slave state.
Lilah: Right, where the slaves are full of giggly joy and love. Ugh, what a nightmare.
Angel: She was eating people.
Lilah: They knew what they were getting into.
Lorne: Her stomach?
Lilah: World peace comes at a price. Jasmine understood that. She consumed, what? Couple dozen souls a day? Now weigh that against ending the suffering of millions, (grins widely) but you fixed that.
Fred: No, we didn't. I—I mean, we did, we—we fixed it, but not in the way that you're trying to make it sound.
Lilah: Jeez, it's not like it was a criticism. Anyway, I'm dead and running late. (walks toward the door) Think about our proposal. If anyone's interested and wants the grand tour, there'll be a limo waiting outside just before dawn, (stops, turns toward the lobby) and hey... good job. (walks out the door)
Fred: (annoyed) We ended a nefarious global domination scheme, not world peace... (looks at the others) right?
(L.A. Street)
(Connor walks through the streets as sirens blare. It's chaotic tonight, unlike how things were before Jasmine's spell was broken. Connor stops and looks up to see a man pacing on the roof of a tall building beside him.)
(Building Rooftop)
(Connor approaches the man who's pacing near the edge of the roof. The man is muttering to himself. He's some kind of police or security officer.)
Connor: Hey. You OK?
Cop: (holding his gun like it was a teddy bear, pacing) I lost something. Something I need. I can't find it. (yells) I can't find it!
Connor: I know. It's OK.
Cop: You can help me look.
Connor: (sadly) I don't think I can. I think it's gone. (The man looks at his gun as he holds it in both hands, then he starts to point it at himself. Connor runs up to him and stops him.) Hey. You don't want to do that. What you're feeling right now won't last. Let's just put this away, OK? That's right. (takes gun away from the man) There you go. Listen. You're gonna go home, and you're not gonna do anything stupid, OK?
Cop: Home?
Connor: (pats the man on the back) Yeah, you got one, don't you?
Cop: Yeah, yeah, got one. (takes out his wallet, shows pictures) Look. That's Sarah, and that's Jill. That's my home right there, right there.
Connor: That's your family. (irritated) That's your family, and you were just gonna leave them like that? How were they gonna feel if you didn't come back?
Cop: I don't know.
Connor: You don't know? (yells) You have to know that!
Cop: I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking.
Connor: (starts to walk away, but stops and punches the man, knocking him down) You were gonna leave 'em, huh? (stands over him, punching the man again) Think about this! (punch) Think about this! (punch) Huh? (punch) Huh?
(Hyperion)
(Wesley is sitting behind the desk leaning over it inspecting a map. Gunn walks into the room.)
Wesley: Angel's battle with Jasmine took place here. She was moving east, probably towards Cordelia. If we find Connor, I suspect we'll find her as well.
Gunn: (sits across from him leaning back in a chair) Kid needs a leash if you ask me.
Wesley: We work outward in an ever-expanding perimeter.
Gunn: Ever-expanding perimeter? That won't take weeks.
Wesley: (puts down his pencil, looks up at Gunn) You've another idea, I'm ready to hear it.
Gunn: Can't help thinking it might cut down on the work load some if we got a little help, a few extra employees, or a turnkey, state-of-the-art, multi-tasking operation.
Wesley: (leans back in his chair) You can't possibly think that's an option.
Gunn: Well, now I know it's an option, 'cause I was standing there when the dead lady offered it to us. (leans forward) Come on, Wes, how long are you gonna be satisfied, sitting there sticking pins in maps and blowing dust off your books? (sighs, leans back) Sorry, man. I shouldn't have said it like that.
Wesley: (looks away) No, no, no. They are rather dusty.
Gunn: That's not what I meant. Couldn'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. (picks up a pen and leans over his map again)
Gunn: Loved one?
Wesley: Figure of speech.
(Lobby)
(Angel looks up as Lorne walks in through the front door. Angel's changing his shirt, and Fred's also in the room. Wesley and Gunn walk into the lobby from the office.)
Angel: You're back. Anything?
Lorne: Oh, plenty. (shrugs) Just not any on Connor or Cordelia. I'm not saying we ended world peace or anything, kids, but, uh, it's a mess out there, and considering the banner year we've had, that's up against some pretty stiff competition.
Angel: (to Wesley) What do you got?
Wesley: Not much more than you left me with, I'm afraid. 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'll do whatever it takes.
Gunn: Ok, well, don't you think maybe we should consider—
Angel: (snaps at him) Consider what, Gunn? What should we consider?
Gunn: (backs off) Working outward in an ever-expanding perimeter.
Angel: You want to get into that limo when it gets here? That's up to you. (turns to grab his coat) 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 even cross through their doors, you'll be corrupted. (walks toward the door)
Wesley: Where are you heading off to?
Angel: I'm gonna go find my son, see if I can get lucky, pick up his trail. (walks out the door)
Fred: I can't believe he thought you meant—
Gunn: I'm going to bed. (walks away)
Wesley: Yes, I should be heading home myself. It's late. (looks around) Well... night all. (walks out)
Lorne: Night.
Fred: (watches Wesley leave) Good night.
(Just Before Dawn)
(Fred sneaks out of her room. The halls are empty. She walks quietly down the front stairs into the empty lobby. She walks out the front door.)
(Garden)
(Fred walks through the garden, rearranging her shoe on the way. She stops in her tracks when she sees the limousine. Wesley starts speaking, and Fred turns to see that he is standing beside her.)
Wesley: I don't know how long it's been here. Since before I arrived.
Fred: (guiltily) I thought I'd be the only one.
Wesley: I thought for sure I wouldn't be, although I wasn't expecting it to be you.
Fred: I just figured...well, if they are up to something—
Gunn: (walks up to them from the shadows) We should know what it is. I get that.
Wesley: Well, we three.
Gunn: Looks like.
Wesley: What are the odds the humans would be the most corruptible?
Fred: (walks toward the car, the others follow) Maybe we should just go back inside. What if Angel's right?
Gunn: Yeah, but what if he's not? All we're gonna do is take the tour.
Wesley: Hmm. We go into this with our eyes open and our wits about us. There shouldn't be any—
Angel: Surprises? (the others turn to see Angel was lurking by the wall just in front of the limo) What the hell.
(He goes to the car, opens the door for the others—but Lorne is already inside.)
Lorne: (listening to dance music, talking to the driver) So it's an evil limo. I get that, but does that mean we don't restock the cherries? (laughs, looks around, notices the others) Hi.
(Wolfram & Hart – Lobby)
(The elevator bell rings. Angel, Fred, Lorne, Wesley and Gunn walk off the elevator into the lobby. They look around to see a bustling office. There's a big "W&H" sign in the lobby.)
Female Lawyer: Mr. Angel, good morning.
Male Lawyer: Good morning, Mr. Angel.
Female Lawyer: Good morning, Mr. Angel.
Male Lawyer: Good morning, Mr. Angel.
Angel: (to the others) There's no way this is gonna go well. (looking around)
Male Lawyer: Good morning, Mr. Angel.
Male Lawyer: Morning, Mr. Angel.
(Varies male and female lawyers continue to greet Angel. Our gang turns and sees a team of five people, headed by Lilah, walks purposefully toward them.)
Lilah: Well, you've all made it. What a shock. We've got a lot of ground to cover, so best we get started. Let me introduce you to your guides.
Angel: Guides? Separate guides?
Lilah: Of course. There are 5 of you, all with specific interests, unique areas of expertise. Seemed the most efficient way of doing this. Prioritize and personalize.
Angel: (smirks) Divide and conquer, you mean.
Lilah: Oh, you're so cynical. See? (smiles) This is gonna work out great.
Angel: We don't split up. We came here together, we're gonna take the tour together. Right, guys?
Gunn: (looks at one of the people Lilah brought with her) Do I get her?
Lilah: Look, if we wanted to harm you, we'd have blown up the limo, right? (a man wheels in a car of guns) If you prefer to be armed during your stay here, we'd have no objections. 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.
Wesley: She's right. We've made deals with them before. They are honorable in their way. I doubt we'll be in any danger.
Lorne: She was right about the limo.
Gunn: (still staring at the girl) Do I get her?
Fred: (picks up a large automatic gun from the cart, cocks it) I think we'll be OK.
Lilah: Lorne, Preston will show you around our entertainment division.
(A short young man in a suit and a purple shirt walks up to Lorne, offering to shake hands.)
Preston: Hi, big fan. Huge. Love your work. (Lorne shakes his hand.) I had this prepared. Confidential list. Peepers only. Thought you might want to take a gander at our roster. (opens the book) Just a rundown of some of the talent we represent here.
Lorne: Uh, no, no, no, no. I don't think you have to tell me what you represent here, young man. I know. Evil. Pure evil in the— (Preston flips through the pages of the book, catching Lorne's attention.) Huh. Which is also apparently everyone I've always wanted to meet. (laughs)
Preston: Follow me.
(Lorne and Preston walk out of the lobby)
Lilah: Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, Rutherford Sirk. (Wesley and Sirk shake hands) I think you'll find you two have a lot in common.
(Sirk is a tall, slender, middle-aged man dressed conservatively. He speaks with a British accent.)
Sirk: It's a pleasure. Shall we? (walks away)
(Wesley stares at Lilah, but after a moment, follows Sirk out of the lobby.)
Lilah: Charles Gunn, Lacey Shepard. (presents the young woman Gunn has been staring at) I think you'll find you two have nothing in common.
(Gunn takes her hand and smiles.)
Lacey: This way, Chuck.
Gunn: You're not gonna try to corrupt me, are you?
Lacey: Wouldn't dream of it.
Gunn: We'll have to work on that. (they walk out of the lobby)
Lilah: Knox, Fred Burkle.
(Lilah presents a man wearing a white lab coat. Fred smiles, and tries to offer her hand, but the gun she’s holding makes it awkward. She giggles.)
Fred: Hi.
Lilah: Knox is the star of our science division.
Fred: Oh!
Knox: Oh. Uh.
Fred: Oh, nice to meet you.
Knox: You, too, um. Well, this, um, should be...fun.
Fred: Yeah. (holds her gun in front of her and follows Knox out of the lobby)
Angel: Well...(chuckles) What do you know?
Lilah: Yep, just you and me, boss. Come on, Charlie. Let me show you around the chocolate factory.
(Hallway)
(Gunn looks around the building as he and Lacey walk across a bridge over the lobby.)
Gunn: Pretty slick.
Lacey: What is?
Gunn: You know, giving each of us our own little tour. It's a good way to isolate Angel.
Lacey: Is that what we're doing? (they walk in front of a bunch of cubicle offices)
Gunn: Well, it'd be a big coup bringing Angel over to the dark side. Vampire with a soul, champion. It's gonna look good on anyone's letterhead.
Lacey: Why do you assume Angel is our priority?
Gunn: You telling me he isn't?
Lacey: A priority. Though you each possess gifts we feel would be useful.
Gunn: Well, I see what the others got, Fred's big brain, Wes' training, Lorne's mind-reading thing. Guess I just don't know what you guys expect me to do around... (sees the office labeled "SECURITY") here. Though I think maybe I'm starting to figure it out. Yeah, bet I'd look real smart in one of them blazers.
Lacey: (smiles) Oh, I'm sure you would, but we have much grander plans for you, Mr. Gunn.
Gunn: (interested) You do? Grander?
Lacey: Let's go upstairs.
(Science Division)
(Fred and Knox talk as they walk down a less glitzy hallway that's more white with fewer windows than Gunn's tour.)
Fred: So are you a lawyer? Uh, you don't look like a lawyer.
Knox: No, I'm strictly R & D. Although, occasionally, some D & D. D & D, Dungeons and...We actually have a dungeon. I can show it to you later if— um, I manage the science division.
Fred: (smiles) Seem pretty young to be a head of a whole science division.
Knox: Oh, I—I'm not the head. I—I just manage it for the department head, which, I guess, you know, would be you.
Fred: (her eyes widen) Wait. I, uh— (Knox leads Fred inside a locked room. It's a huge laboratory, fully staffed and fully equipped. People are doing chemical experiments, medical, animal and others as well. Fred gasps as she takes it all in.) Wow.
Knox: I know. Everything modern technology has to offer, right at your fingertips. Everything's state of the art, cutting edge. (Fred picks up a handheld computer that was lying on the desk) That's one of my creations. (smiles)
Fred: You might want to get out of the lab more. Personal organizers have been around for a while. I—I mean, (shrugs) not that it's not a nice Palm Pilot.
Knox: (opens the computer) Yeah, I'll bet your buddy Matthew Partney at 6200 Crestwood Boulevard in Lubbock, Texas, would agree. (shows Fred the display)
Fred: Hey, how'd you know about Matt?
Knox: Hacks into any electronic device within 100 yards. I—I patched in to your cell phone's address book.
Fred: You're like the— the MacGyver of Wolfram & Hart.
Knox: (chuckles) You're not wrong. I can make practically anything out of a— a fully equipped, multi-million dollar lab.
(Library)
(Sirk leads Wesley into a wood-paneled room with a table in the center upon which 3 dozen or so leather-bound books are lined up, neatly arranged in a row.)
Sirk: Our ancient prophecies wing.
Wesley: (unimpressed) Looks as if your wing's been clipped.
Sirk: Appearances can be deceiving. It's actually the most comprehensive collection of prophecy archives to be found anywhere. Choose something to read. Go on, anything at all. (leans on the books) Something rare.
Wesley: All right. The Devandire Sibylline Codex.
Sirk: Translated or Sanskrit?
Wesley: Surprise me.
Sirk: I'm sure I will. (picks up a large, heavy book and whispers to it) Devandire Codex, Sanskrit. (hands the book to Wesley; when he opens it, the blank pages magically fill themselves with text) The, uh, template you're holding provides access to anything stored in the firm's locked archives relating to prophecies, omens, revelations and so on.
Wesley: Impressive. And does the Watcher's Council know you stole the only known copy of the codex when you left?
Sirk: There is no council.
Wesley: (flips through the book) Not anymore, no. So you opted to, what, uh, 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—(punches Sirk, knocking him out) libraries.
(Wesley looks around at the ceiling, then shoots a cable into the ceiling from a wrist jig he's wearing, triggering it to lift him up automatically.)
(Office)
(Lilah and Angel walk down the hall together toward a large office.)
Lilah: (in the hallway) Money, clothes, women. Did I mention we have a juice bar?
Angel: (in the hallway) 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. (opens the doors to the office; Angel follows her in) I know it's not much, but the Taj Mahal was a bit of a commute.
Angel: Hmm, what, am I supposed to swoon? It's an office.
Lilah: (gestures like a spokesmodel) With your own private elevator. Care to take it for a spin?
Angel: What's it gonna do, huh? Drop me in a vat of holy water?
Lilah: I was pushing for that, but they went with the motor pool. Figured you'd like to stay mobile, what with all that rushing out to save the day you're so fond of.
Angel: (smirks) Thanks, but I already have a car.
Lilah: Now you have 12.
Angel: What am I gonna do with 12 cars?
Lilah: Anything you want. That's the point, or haven't you been listening?
Angel: I have, and, uh, I'm done now.
Lilah: Wait, I forgot to show you the best part. (presses a button)You're gonna love this. (the window shades slide open letting light pour into the room through a wall full of windows)
Angel: (instinctively puts his hands to his face, then realizes...) I'm not bursting into flames.
Lilah: Nope. (taps on the glass) Necro-tempered glass. The whole building's fitted with it. Helps keep those uplifting, wholesome rays from charbroilin' the boss, and 30% more energy efficient. (Angel basks in the light) 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: Close it, Lilah.
Lilah: (sighs, picks up the remote, closes the shades) Good-bye, Mr. Sunshine. Hello, gloomy avenger.
Angel: Make that good-bye. I'm not taking the job.
Lilah: It's not a job. It's an opportunity.
Angel: Ooh, an opportunity to be part of the problem.
Lilah: If that's what you choose.
Angel: Really don't.
Lilah: Again, your choice. Think of what you can do with the resources of Wolfram & Hart at your fingertips, the difference that would make. Nothing in this world is the way it ought to be. It's harsh, and it's cruel, but that's why there's you, Angel. You live as if the world were as it should be. With all 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 inside the belly of the beast.
Angel: The beast's belly? Doesn't that usually mean you've been eaten?
Lilah: (smiles) Maybe. While you've been namby-pambying around for the past 90 seconds, 6 innocent people have died. Oh, but don't worry. There's always 6,000 more just around the corner or up the coast. (hands Angel a file)
Angel: (opens the file, reads) Sunnydale. (takes out an amulet from the file)
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. A bit gauche for my taste, but, hey, not a slayer.
Angel: (puts the amulet back in the file; throws it on the table) Buffy can handle herself.
Lilah: But isn't it more fun when you handle her?
Angel: Keep the intel. Not interested. (walks toward the door)
Lilah: Not in this case. So how about open homicide? Missing persons? (Angel stops walking) Mmm, I 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 could find out in about 10 seconds. All you gotta do is pick up the phone, boss. (picks up the phone, hands it to Angel)
Angel: (puts down the phone) I'm sorry what happened to you, Lilah. I really am. Me and my friends will be leaving now.
(The telephone rings. Lilah answers it. Angel sighs.)
Lilah: (to phone) Yes? Of course. (hangs up) The senior partners would like you to test all the amenities before you make your decision. (presses a remote control button, revealing a television that's playing a news report)
Angel: Cool! Is that high-def?
Reporter: (on TV) …evacuated and bomb units have been called to the scene where police say more than a dozen promenade shoppers are being held hostage at this hour. Police are trying to identify the suspect from these security camera pictures. (the footage shows Connor on the screen; Angel walks closer to the television for a better look) So far, no motive is known for the siege, and the suspect has refused to speak with law enforcement officials. We'll keep you updated as this intense drama unfolds.
Lilah: Wow, really does have your eyes, doesn't he? (Angel grabs her by the throat and pushes her up against the wall angrily.) Watch the head. It comes off kind of easy.
Angel: (through gritted teeth) 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 and make it stop (low) now.
Lilah: Love to, except for the part where we didn't have anything to do with—
Angel: But you know who did.
Lilah: Yeah, I'm looking at him. You're the one who raised him or didn't. (Angel lets her go; Lilah clears throat) Can't imagine how the kid turned out postal.
Angel: You don't know a thing about Connor, huh. Let's keep it that way. (walks toward the door)
Lilah: One time offer only, Angel. Walk out that door, deal's off. Stay, and it's all yours.
Angel: People like you, this place, that's what's wrong with the world, Lilah. I will never be a part of this. (sighs, stares at the image of Connor on the screen) Not the way you're hoping. (walks up to Lilah) Now let me tell you what the deal's gonna be.
(Elevator)
(Gunn and Lacey are riding in the elevator with cheezy elevator music playing in the background.)
Gunn: (chuckles) This is the longest damn elevator ride I ever took. How big is this place?
Lacey: (looks at her watch, then at Gunn) It's time.
Gunn: Time for what? (The buttons for several floors are lit, but another button magically appears above them. Lacey presses the button.) Oh, no. Hey, we better not be going where I think we're going.
Lacey: The answers you seek lie within the room.
Gunn: Only thing I seek is the lobby. (presses the lobby button repeatedly) Already rubbed elbows with Little Miss Muffet once. Don't need a repeat with her replacement, and here I am thinking I'm getting seduced. Well, I'm getting screwed all...
(The White Room)
(Gunn finds himself in a large empty white room. He looks around, apprehensive.)
Gunn: …right. Come on, you got the wrong guy in here. This room's for the big— (turns toward a growling sound in the distance) Cats. (a black panther walks toward him) Think I preferred the little girl.
(The black panther walks slowly toward Gunn, then stops and stands in front of him, looking up into his eyes. Gunn bends to look into the cat's eyes and sees his own reflection in them. Gunn smiles. The panther roars.)
(Jackson’s Sporting Goods)
(The police have surrounded the sporting goods store with cars and helicopters. Inside, People are sitting on the floor, wired to a makeshift explosive device fashioned from propane canisters taped to each person's chest. One man is sitting with his arm around a little girl who's crying uncontrollably.)
Man: (whispering to the girl) Shut up. Shut up. You've got to—
Connor: (leaps down to yell at the man) Hey! I told you to be nice.
Man: (leans back, frightened) I'm sorry.
Connor: You're not holding her right. Why don't you hold her right?
Man: I think you broke my arm.
Connor: Do it right.
Man: (painfully puts his arm around the girl) Shh, shh. It's gonna be OK. It's gonna be OK.
(Connor stands and walks over to a stash of car batteries and checks that the people's wires are attached. Then he pauses.)
Connor: You got in. (stands) I thought you might.
(Pan out to show Angel is standing on the balcony of the upstairs section of the store. He leaps down to the main level where Connor and his hostages are.)
(Wolfram & Hart – Records)
(Someone drops down from the ceiling—it's Wesley. He punches out a man standing in the records room. There's rows and rows of filing cabinets and document boxes. Wesley hurriedly moves down to the section he's interested in, inspecting the labels on the cabinets until finally he opens the drawer he wants.)
Lilah: (steps out from behind a row of cabinets) I was wondering how long it'd take you to get here.
Wesley: (looks over then stands straight) How'd I do?
Lilah: A little slower than I would have thought... but then you always did like to take your time. So you finally made it. Got behind the facade, and here it is, every dirty, little scheme. (walks toward him) Every secret, all that evil, great and small. Just imagine what you could accomplish with that kind of information.
Wesley: You wanted me to see this. You knew I'd—
Lilah: Die Hard your way up here? Come on, Wes. Who knows you better than me?
Wesley: (looks at her) Perhaps you don't know me as well as you think. (goes back to the files)
Lilah: What are you doing, Wesley?
Wesley: (takes a piece of paper out of the files) Standard perpetuity clause. (holds up the paper for Lilah to see)
Lilah: You broke in here for my contract?
Wesley: (takes out a lighter) I'm here to release you from it.
Lilah: Wesley.
Wesley: You've suffered enough. (lights the paper) I want you to find some peace. (watches it burn)
Lilah: Gallant to the end...but I knew what I signed up for.
Wesley: It's done.
Lilah: Look in the drawer. (Wesley opens the drawer, takes out a paper from the same file) Flames wouldn't be eternal if they actually consumed anything. (Wesley looks heartbroken) But it means something that you tried.
(Jackson’s Sporting Goods)
(Angel walks cautiously through the apparel toward Connor.)
Angel: Connor? Son?
(There's an explosion behind Angel. He jumps, startled. The hostages start crying and whimpering. Connor remains eerily calm and unaffected.)
Connor: You might not want to move. Everyone's rigged. Can't save 'em all, dad. Don't know who's gonna be first. Could be any one of 'em. (stands, revealing he's wired too) Could be me. (steps away, points to an unconscious Cordelia on the floor, also wired) Could be her.
(Angel stares shocked and frozen with fear for a moment.)
Angel: Son...you have to listen to me. This is about Jasmine.
Connor: Jasmine's gone.
Angel: I know. We all felt it, that perfect love, then when you had to give it up—
Connor: (in a violent outburst, pushes items off a nearby table) I didn't feel anything! I can't feel anything. (scoffs) I guess I really am your son... 'cause I'm dead, too.
Angel: (starts walking toward Connor) You're not dead. You're just starting your life and—
Connor: No, you just weren't there before!
Angel: (tears well up in his eyes) I know. I'm so—
Connor: (yelling angrily) Do not say you're sorry! Doesn't fix anything.
Angel: Ok, look, let me say this. I love you, son.
Connor: It's a lie.
Angel: It's not.
Connor: (hangs his head) It's always a lie. (softly) My dead mother couldn't even love me.
Angel: You're wrong. She did.
Connor: No. (shakes her head) No. She knew she couldn't.
Angel: She sacrificed herself because she loved you.
Connor: You tried to love me. At least I think you did.
Angel: I still do.
Connor: But not enough to hang on, dad. (glares at Angel)You let him take me. You let him get me. You let him get me. (turns to face Cordelia) Cordy... you swore you loved me. Where are you now?
Angel: (inches toward Connor; softly) Connor... you have to believe that there are people who love you.
Connor: Jasmine believed you when you said you loved her, but it was all a lie.
Angel: Jasmine was the lie.
Connor: (yelling) No! She knew if you found out who she really was that you'd turn against her, and she was right. That's just what happened. People like you. People like this. None of you deserve what she could give you. (sighs) She wanted to give you everything.
Angel: I know how that feels. 'Cause I want to give you everything. I want to take back the mistakes, help you start over.
Connor: We can't start over.
Angel: We can. I mean, we can change things.
Connor: There's only one thing that ever changes anything... and that's death. (Angel starts to cry) Everything else is just a lie. (cries) You can't be saved by a lie. You can't be saved at all.
(He looks down at his explosive and starts to activate it. Before Connor can harm himself or others, Angel punches him in the chin, sending his head back and pulls out the wire. Connor and Angel start to fight. Connor hits Angel in the head with a weight, then grabs a baseball bat—he swings at Angel and misses. Angel grabs a bowling ball and punches Connor in the face with it. Connor punches back, but Angel grabs him and throws him across the room into a wall. Connor falls to the floor. Angel helps the hostages undo their restraints and unwire themselves.)
Angel: Run. Hurry. All of you. Go.
(The hostages leave. Connor stands up and goes to attack Angel again. They fight with fists and kicks. Connor throws Angel across the room, then starts walking toward Cordelia—the only remaining hostage. Angel sees this and smashes a display case containing hunting knives. He takes a knife and hurls it across the room, landing it in Connor's thigh before he reaches Cordelia. Connor falls to the ground, still trying to crawl to her. Angel pulls the knife out of Connor's leg, pulls Connor off of her, and pushes his back to the ground.)
Angel: (hovering over Connor, holding the knife) I really do love you, Connor.
Connor: (low) So what are you gonna do about it?
Angel: Prove it.
(Angel sweeps down his knife hand and swipes the blade across Connor's throat.)
(Wolfram & Hart – Lobby)
(Lorne is singing and dancing with himself.)
Lorne: (singing) Could be...who knows? There's something due any day I will know right away soon as it shows (Fred walks into the lobby) It may come cannonballin' down from the sky gleaming inside... Welcome back, Fred (talking, hugs her) Hi. Hey. (starts dancing with her) Oh, well, let me tell you, when this cruise ship sets sail, I will be on the Lido deck. (chuckles) You know, I mean, it's unbelievable. Secrets of the universe, like Siegfried, evil; Roy, not so much. Oh, and balance? Very, very important. (spins Fred out, and she bumps into Wesley)
Fred: Uh, heh—ooh! Uh... guess we're all straggling back, some more straggly-like than others. Are you—?
Wesley: Just, uh... a lot to take in.
(The elevator bell rings, the doors open to reveal Gunn. He is looking down, and when he looks up he appears to see with the eyes of a predator. He walks with a certain confidence as he exits the elevator and walks over to the group.)
Fred: You look... did they make you taller?
Gunn: I'm doing this. Hope it's not just me, but if it is, that's all right, too.
Wesley: As much as it pains me to admit it, there's probably a great deal we could accomplish with the resources available here.
Fred: (looks at Wesley) I can't believe it. Are—are you saying we should take the deal?
Angel: I already took it.
Fred: Angel, what—what?
Wesley: You took the deal?
Angel: Executive decision.
Wesley: I didn't think you'd—
Lilah: Know a silver platter when he's handed one? I'm impressed with the lot of you. Team Angel, all growed up.
Angel: (whispers) Is it taken care of?
Lilah: Cordelia's safe and sound, 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, it doesn't mean she can't look her best. (to Angel) She'll receive the finest care, medical and metaphysical. If there is a way to get her back, we'll find it.
Angel: Good. (whispers) Just one more piece of business. I got to see him.
Lilah: I'm sorry, Angel, but that wasn't part of the deal.
Angel: Value of compromise. Remember, Lilah? I need to see him.
Lilah: You're the boss. (hands Angel the file and amulet) There'll be a limo waiting outside. It'll take you to see Connor.
Angel: (softly) Thank you. (walks out the door)
Fred: (watches Angel leave) Who's Connor?
(California Highway – Day)
(A limousine drives down a highway through the mountains.)
(Family Home – Night)
(The car pulls up outside a house, and Angel gets out. He walks up to a window and peers in at the family inside.)
(Inside)
(In a warmly lit dining room, a family is sitting at dinner having a conversation.)
Connor: You just opened up a whole bottle for yourself, didn't you? (laughter)
Dad: I'm just saying, you know, you've got your pick. Any college you want to.
Connor: It's really not a big deal.
Mom: Top tenth percentile is a big deal.
Sister1: Are you and Tracy gonna try and go to the same college?
Dad: Oh, bad idea.
Connor: We haven't really talked about it.
Dad: (shakes head) No, I love Tracy. I'm just saying it's a bad way to go.
Sister2: Tracy's a vegan.
Mom: So? At least she doesn't live on pop tarts.
Connor: You know, maybe I'll go to school overseas, like Russia. Is there anything further away than Russia?
Mom: Don't you even joke about it.
Dad: I feel a toast coming on.
Connor: Gee, big surprise.
Mom: There he goes.
Dad: To the top tenth percentile— (holds up his glass)
Connor: (stands) OK, whoa, whoa. Enough. That's all I had to hear. Since it's my special day and I'm all brilliant and everything and I'm forced to spend at least a few more months with you freaks...
Sister1: (gasps, feigning shock) How mean.
Connor: Uh, heh heh, I get to make the toast, OK? (puts his hand on Dad's shoulder, looks at Dad) To family. (clinks glass with dad)
(Angel watches from outside, smiles, then walks away.)
Sister2: I think I should get wine for the toast.
Connor: No, really? Well, I wasn't talking about this family. I made that clear, right? (laughter from the family)
Sister2: I'm not gonna tell you. (more laughter)
Season Four Guide