Not Fade Away
(Wolfram & Hart – Angel’s Office – Day)
(Angel has just asked everyone to vote on taking on the members of the Circle of the Black Thorn.)
Angel: Then we're all agreed.
Spike: Yeah, we're all one big happy Manson family.
Gunn: We taking 'em all at once?
Angel: Can't. Circle of the Black Thorn is the most powerful group in this plane of existence. Together, they'd vaporize us, but separated, they're just demons.
(Wesley retrieves his shotgun and slings it over his shoulder.)
Wesley: When do we make our move?
(Angel hands his pistol back to Wesley)
Angel: Soon. In the meantime, we have to keep up the infighting. The circle needs to believe we're coming apart at the seams.
Gunn: What about Illyria?
Angel: (crosses his arms) What about her?
Gunn: Move like this, wouldn't hate having Blue Thunder in our corner.
Angel: Can't trust she'll come down on our side.
Lorne: Trust me, she's housebroken. She was babysitting Drogyn—
Angel: She was with Drogyn?
Spike: Relax. The two of them were getting on well enough.
Angel: You have to get over there now.
Wesley: Why? What is it?
Angel: Drogyn's dead.
Spike: (angrily, walks up to Angel) And how do you know that, Kreskin?
Angel: Because I killed him.
Spike: What? (Angel punches Spike in the face) Ow! You son of a— (swings at Angel, misses)
(Angel grabs Spike around the throat as Hamilton walks in through the office door.)
Hamilton: Sorry. Didn't know you were... in conference.
Angel: I was just making a closing statement... (lets go of Spike, pushes him toward the door) ...unless somebody didn't hear me. (Gunn, Spike, and Lorne file out the door; Angel stops Wes on his way out) Goes for you, too, Wes. Illyria's your responsibility. Make sure she doesn't get twitchy. (closes the door behind the others)
Hamilton: Well, you've got yourself a problem.
Angel: Nothing you have to worry about.
Hamilton: Oh, not me. Your new friends. The Black Thorn. They're very concerned.
Angel: Tell them to send me a memo. I'm busy trying to run a business. (sits at his desk)
Hamilton: You can tell them yourself. They want to see you right now. (grins, turns toward the door) No rest for the wicked.
(Spike’s Apartment)
(Spike, Gunn, Lorne and Wesley come back to Spike's apartment to find it trashed. Illyria is lying face-down, unconscious on the floor.)
Wesley: (rushes to her side) Illyria. (turns her to face him)
Spike: (he and Gunn crouch around Illyria) Bloody hell.
Wesley: Illyria, can you hear me?
(She opens her eyes and nods faintly; Wes pulls her into his arms, holding her to his chest.)
Spike: Who did this to you?
Illyria: It was Hamilton. Took Drogyn.
Lorne: Straight to his buddy Angel. I'm telling you, our fearless leader has fearlessly lost it. There's no part of this that makes any sense. We could be next.
Gunn: I don't think we're being monitored here.
Lorne: I'm not playing to the crowd, Gunn. I tell you, I still don't trust the man.
Gunn: (stands) We don't have to trust him. We just gotta pray the Black Circle does.
(Secret Chamber)
(In the secret meeting chamber of the Circle of the Black Thorn, the members gather to begin a meeting.)
Circle Members: (chanting in unison) Of the world's woe, now convene. All is bound by the circle and its thorns. Invisible, inviolate, we, the seeds of the storm, at the center of the world's woe, now convene.
(Sebassis is drinking a blue liquid from a champagne flute.)
Sebassis: (to Angel) The circle does not abide secrets.
Angel: Which is interesting for a secret society.
Sebassis: Remember your place, vampire. (claps quickly)
Angel: My place is in the circle.
Sebassis: This morning's insurrection did not go unnoticed.
Angel: You mean my people.
Sebassis: They tried to kill you. An embarrassing affront, to say the least.
Vail: And the stepping stone to disaster. You have ascended, Angel. You should not be burdened with this kind of— (gasps, checks his tubes) Aah! (notices the scrawny, pale slave wearing a blindfold and tripping over Vail's tubes) Sebassis! Your manservant has become tangled in my bodily fluids again!
(Angel leans forward and pushes the slave away from Vail.)
Angel: My people are the problem?
Sebassis: Some of them, yes.
Angel: Some? Who missed the cut?
Vail: We're interested in Mr. Wyndam-Price. He seems intriguingly unstable.
Senator: Mr. Gunn, on the other hand, does not, which is a pity. He had so much potential.
Sebassis: He is not, however, our greatest concern.
Angel: If the next words out of your mouth are "Kill Spike", we just might have to kiss. (smirks)
Sebassis: Spike is not the threat. You are. (signals Izzy) You've proven your loyalty to the circle. Regrettably, there's something stronger than loyalty... hope.
(Izzy produces a cylindrical document holder, pulls a document out of it, and unrolls it on the table in front of Angel.)
Angel: This is the Shanshu Prophecy.
Sebassis: The original.
Senator: The vampire with a soul will play a pivotal role in the apocalypse.
Vail: And as a reward, will become human.
Sebassis: A paranoid person might think you're trying to manipulate us in an attempt to fulfill this prophecy.
Angel: I have no desire to become human.
Sebassis: Oh, good. Then you won't mind signing that pesky future away. Through that document, the prophecy can be undone. Your signature there will remove any opportunity that you will ever earn your once-precious humanity. Will you sign it?
Angel: Of course.
(Izzy takes out a pen; Angel leans forward, begins to sign it. Izzy grabs the pen from Angel, stabs him in the left hand with it.)
Izzy: It's gotta be signed in blood.
(Angel grunts as he pulls the pen out of the back of his hand. He signs his name on the top of the document with his right hand.)
(Wolfram & Hart – Angel’s Office)
(Angel is standing in his office alone, staring out the window, when Harmony walks in.)
Harmony: Um...Angel? Just wondering where everybody is.
Angel: You ever miss it? You were turned, what... 5 years ago?
Harmony: Oh, that. Yeah. Graduation night. I don't know. It's weird. Part of me always knew life would end after high school. I was very popular, you know. The whole "golden years" thing.
Angel: I don't remember what it was like... being human. It was too long ago.
Harmony: (shrugs) Not so great. Zits. Dandruff. Mortality. Although I do remember... my heart. (smiles) And the way it would thump when I kissed a really hot boy for the first time. (nods) That was cool. Angel? Something's going down, isn't it? And everybody's in on it except me.
Angel: You're not a part of this.
Harmony: I could be. I'm your assistant, after all. I could, I don't know... assist you or something.
Angel: Hamilton.
Harmony: Hamilton?
Angel: (walks over to his desk) Need to get some things done, pay a quiet visit to Archduke Sebassis. I'd like to keep our liaison out of the loop.
Harmony: Out of the loop? That's where I live.
Angel: Distract him. I don't care how. Throw some punches at him, some files. Just keep him busy for as long as you can. (walks toward the door)
Harmony: What are you going to do now?
Angel: One more thing I don't want to.
(Conference Room)
(Angel is meeting with Lindsey. Angel's pacing. Lindsey is sitting at the conference table.)
Lindsey: You gotta be joking. Why on God's green and verdant Earth would I trust you, huh? Or you, me?
Angel: 'Cause it's not about us, Lindsey. It's about them. The wolf. The ram. The hart. The ones we've been fighting against forever.
Lindsey: You can't beat 'em.
Angel: Maybe they're not there to be beat. Maybe they're there to be fought. Maybe fighting them is what makes human beings so remarkably strong.
Lindsey: (stands) You're not talking about the kind of strength human beings have. (sits on the edge of the table) This is not about coveting your neighbor's ass, your buddy's job, the last Mallomar in the box. You're talking about fighting flesh and something that passes for blood demons with enormous power, and they will mow you down.
Angel: Maybe... but I keep thinking that once this world was theirs and now it's not.
Lindsey: Isn't it?
Angel: Give me the hell on Earth speech, Lindsey. I know how bad things are, how much sway the demons hold. I happen to be the greatest mass murderer you've ever met.
Lindsey: Never given you props for that, have I?
Angel: There's always going to be power, and there's always going to be corruption.
Lindsey: So again I ask you—
Angel: 'Cause it's not what I'm expected to do. 'Cause you're good in a fight. And let's say we come up rolling 7s and this does go our way. We tear up this firm, someone's going to have to step in. I know that's what you want. Now, I'm a lot more comfortable with the thought of you in that position than anyone else.
Lindsey: The devil you know.
Angel: That'd be you.
Lindsey: And what if you roll snake eyes?
Angel: You'll talk your way out of it. You'll tell them I forced you to help me. Tell them I made my scary face.
Lindsey: Believe it or not, I was actually talking about you. You don't care about being squashed like a bug?
Angel: You haven't heard a word I've said. For, like, years back.
Lindsey: Well, you get a little speechy, all right? And I breeze out. I got the Cliff Notes—honor and humanity. Absolute good. I heard it. So here's the plot twist—I'm in.
Angel: Why?
Lindsey: Everybody goes on about your soul. Vampire with a soul. Nobody ever mentions the fact that you're really a vampire with big brass testes. This is gonna be a circus. I mean, win or lose, you're about to pick the nastiest fight since mankind drop-kicked the last demon out of this dimension. And that you don't do without me. If you want me, I'm on your team.
Angel: I want you, Lindsey. (beat) I'm thinking about rephrasing that.
Lindsey: Yeah, I think I'd be more comfortable if you did. (turns away)
(Spike’s Apartment)
(Wesley, Spike and Gunn are standing in a circle, talking, while Lorne sits in a chair in the corner, watching Illyria.)
Gunn: How's she doing?
Wesley: She needs more care than I can provide here. I have to get some supplies from home. Watch over her for me. (grabs his coat)
Spike: Fat lotta good that's gonna do if Hamilton decides to make another house call.
(Angel walks in.)
Angel: Hamilton did this?
Lorne: You didn't know?
Angel: He brought Drogyn.
Wesley: To the circle... so you could kill him to prove you'd gone over.
Lorne: Yeah. Say, any other tips on how to be a hero we could share with the boys and girls at home?
Angel: I didn't have a choice. They would have killed us both—
Gunn: We get it. We'd just like to know if they're gonna need any of the rest of us as proof.
Spike: Pick us off one by one, you know.
Angel: No, they won't. We're killing them all tonight. (pause) I want you all to do something for me, for yourselves. Take the day off.
Spike: What?
Gunn: Angel, if we're planning to assassinate the power elite of the apocalypse tonight, shouldn't we be cowboying up?
Angel: We'll be ready, but today, I want you guys to go out. Live. Do whatever you want.
(Karaoke Bar)
(A microphone stands on stage waiting for a performer to take his place in front of it.)
Angel: (vo) Live the day like it's your last... 'cause it probably is.
Lorne: (steps up to the microphone holding a drink, sits on the stool, starts singing) If I ruled the world,
Every day would be the first day of spring,
Every heart would have a new song to sing,
And we'd sing of the joy every morning would bring...
(Coffee Shop)
(Angel stands in a stairwell for a moment before finally walking out into the main area of the coffee shop. He walks up to a table where someone is studying.)
Angel: Hi.
(Connor looks up from his books )
(Bar)
(Someone is sitting at a bar, finishing a beer. He picks up a shot of whiskey. Pan out to reveal it's Spike. He gestures "cheers" to the bartender before shooting the whiskey down. Someone bumps into Spike, pushing him into the large biker-type standing next to him. The man glares meanly at Spike.)
Spike: Ahh. Nice crowd.
Bartender: (refills Spike's whiskey glass) It can get pretty ugly in here, I gotta warn you.
Spike: (drinks the shot) What I'm after. Couple more shots of courage, and I may make my presence felt.
Bartender: (refills Spike's whiskey glass) Your funeral.
Spike: Well, I never had a proper one. (grins, drinks the shot)
(East Hills Teen Center)
(Outside the East Hills Teen Center, a blonde woman coordinates packing a truck with boxes and furniture with the help of a couple young men.)
Anne: (sees Gunn walking up the street) Charles.
Gunn: Annie. (they hug) How you doing?
Anne: Pretty good, I guess. We got a bunch of furniture donated. Gotta move this stuff to the new shelter.
Gunn: Still fighting the good fight, huh?
Anne: That's the drill. How are things uptown?
Gunn: More fight, less good. (grabs a box) Seen Rondell or the guys? I hit some of the old spots. Didn't see anyone.
Anne: (grabs a chair) They should be around. They said they'd help me haul this stuff. You know how it is, though. Things come up.
(Gunn and Annie hand the box and chair to the men on the truck.)
Gunn: Yeah. You got much vamp trouble these days?
Anne: (chuckles) Never goes away for good. The boys help out, though. We're pretty safe. It gives me time to concentrate on the little things. Crack, runaways, abuse victims, psychotics. The old gang.
(she and Gunn pick up another box each, carrying it to the truck)
Gunn: Yeah, I remember.
Anne: It's not so bad. We've had some really decent donations, and it's helping. (they hand off the boxes to the men on the truck) We actually have a part-time paid psychiatric staff.
Gunn: What if I told you it doesn't help? What would you do if you found out that none of it matters?
That it's all controlled by forces more powerful and uncaring than we can conceive, and they will never let it get better down here. What would you do?
Anne: I'd get this truck packed before the new stuff gets here. (Gunn nods) Wanna give me a hand?
Gunn: I do. (they each take one end of a couch) 1, 2, 3!
(They each lift their end of the couch and bring it to the truck.)
(Spike’s Apartment)
(Wesley is grinding something into a paste in a mortar and pestle, mumbling to himself while doing so. Illyria is sitting behind him on the edge of the bed.)
Illyria: I don't understand.
Wesley: It'll help you heal faster. (shakes the paste off the pestle, sets it aside) If you really plan to join us in this fight— (grabs a strip of muslin and dredges it in the paste)
Illyria: I will fight. I've been broken and humiliated. I will return in kind every blow, every sting. I will shred my adversaries. Pull their eyes out just enough to turn them towards their mewing, mutilated faces.
Wesley: (pulls the strip out of the paste and walks with it toward Illyria) You're a very inspirational person. Have I mentioned that? (brushes her hair away from her neck)
Illyria: You are what I don't understand.
Wesley: And that would be different because? (presses the strip to Illyria's skin)
Illyria: Angel told you to do whatever you wanted. Today... tonight, you may all be dead.
Wesley: Yes. Good point.
Illyria: I am not what you want.
(Wesley stands back and turns away. He walks to his preparation area.)
Wesley: (his voice nearly cracking) No.
Illyria: (touches her bandage) Then why—
Wesley: (prepares another bandage) Don't I go off and have one last perfect day? Smell the flowers, or sky-dive, or have a go with Mistress Spanks-A-Lot... or whatever the hell one is supposed to do in this situation. (places another bandage on Illyria's neck)
Illyria: Mistress who?
Wesley: There is no perfect day for me, Illyria. There is no sunset or painting or finely-aged scotch that's going to sum up my life and make tonight any... There is nothing that I want.
Illyria: You want to be with Fred.
Wesley: (finishes bandaging Illyria, wipes his hands on a hand towel) Yes. Yes, that's where I'd be if I could.
Illyria: I could assume her shape, make her come alive again this once for you. (looks down) But you would never ask me to.
Wesley: The first lesson a watcher learns is to separate truth from illusion. Because in the world of magics, it's the hardest thing to do. The truth is that Fred is gone. To pretend anything else would be a lie. And since I don't actually intend to die tonight, I won't accept a lie. Is it better?
Illyria: (touches her neck) It's better.
(Bar)
(Spike is sitting on a stool on a stage, talking into a hand-held microphone. The spotlight is on him as he performs a poetry reading. Behind him is a sign that reads "Poetry Slam, Thursdays 4:00". Holding the mic in his left hand, he's got his right hand draped over the mic stand, holding a glass of whiskey in his fingertips. The audience is silent.)
Spike: "My soul is wrapped in harsh repose,
midnight descends in raven-colored clothes,
but soft...behold!
A sunlight beam
cutting a swath of glimmering gleam.
My heart expands,
'tis grown a bulge in it,
inspired by your beauty...
effulgent."
Man: Yeah!
(The audience applauds. Spike receives a standing ovation.)
Man 2: That was great, man.
Spike: (standing, smiling) Thank you. That was for Cecily. All right. This next one's called "The Wanton Folly of Me Mum."
(Coffee Shop)
(Angel's sitting across the table from Connor now. They're in the middle of a conversation.)
Connor: So she's a werewolf.
Angel: And an art student. She does this great pottery. She made me a vase.
Connor: But it's the wolf part that Jones's you. There's some full-moon love, am I right? Fur flying.
Angel: (staring at Connor, unsure how to react) Huh?
Connor: So vampires really don't understand the concept of jokes.
Angel: I understand jokes. I was at the first taping of the Carol Burnett show. Tim Conway was on fire. It was special.
Connor: I know you're my father.
Angel: (looks down, uncomfortably) You got your memories back.
Connor: Yeah, they're mixed in there with the new ones. Kind of like, uh... a bad dream I had, I guess, a very strange and violent, at times, inappropriately erotic...dream.
Angel: You probably have a lot of questions.
Connor: (shakes his head) No. I don't want to make a thing. I get what you did. You know... I'm grateful. That's as far as I want to take it...OK?
Angel: (breathes deeply, looks at the papers on the table) So, what are you working on?
Connor: I am applying for an internship. I'm supposed to write up a resume.
Angel: Need any help?
Connor: Have you ever written a resume before? Ever?
Angel: No... but I have very nice handwriting.
Connor: You girl.
(Corporate Apartment)
(Lindsey and Eve are making out on a couch.)
Lindsey: What are you thinking about?
Eve: Angel.
Lindsey: (stares away) You simply couldn't have said a worse thing than that.
Eve: (sits up) Well, you know what I mean.
Lindsey: I do. It's nice to know you're one of the few things in my life he didn't get his mitts on, you know?
Eve: I don't believe Angel trusts you.
Lindsey: It ain't about that, love. It's about what he needs, and right now, he needs every hand he can get. As long as I'm fighting on his side, he'll play me fair. When the smoke clears, then we'll see where we stand.
Eve: You sure you can handle the Sahrvins?
Lindsey: They're sending me in with karaoke boy. How tough can they be?
Eve: With Lorne?
Lindsey: (puts his arms around Eve) What's up? You worried about his reading? Said your future's gonna be crappy? He's probably telling you that just to mess with you.
Eve: Yeah, probably.
Lindsey: If this thing does go down, I want you to stay the hell away from it. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. Damn, girl, you gave up immortality for me. It's like something out of a fairy tale.
Eve: We don't live in a fairy tale.
(Lindsey kisses Eve.)
(Spike’s Apartment – Night)
(The gang has reassembled in Spike's apartment. Wesley, Spike and Gunn are sitting down while Angel paces the floor. Illyria is standing behind Wesley. Lorne is sitting on the edge of a table off to the side.)
Angel: This may come out a little pretentious, but... one of you will betray me. (Spike raises his hands eagerly) Wes.
Spike: Oh. (puts his hand down, then suddenly hopeful) Can I deny you 3 times?
Angel: Vail is the sorcerer of the bunch. You know that game. You've seen his place.
(Cyvus Vail’s Mansion)
(Vail walks into the dining room in his mansion, dragging his rack of IV drips with him.)
Angel: (vo) He believes you'd make a play for my spot.
(Spike’s Apartment)
Wesley: That's not very flattering.
Angel: It'll get you in the door. Illyria...
(LA Street)
(Four people walk out of a restaurant together, heading for a car parked along the street.)
Angel: (vo) Izzerial the Devil and 3 other members of the circle dine together almost every night.
(Spike’s Apartment)
Illyria: I'll make trophies of their spines.
Angel: Good to have you on the team. Gunn.
Gunn: Yo.
Angel: Your friend Senator Brucker has a campaign office in west L.A.
(Senator Brucker’s Campaign Office)
(The Senator is talking on the phone in front of a large banner for her campaign.)
Angel: (vo) You already know she's pure hellspawn, and she tends to surround herself with vampires.
(Spike’s Apartment)
Gunn: I was hoping it'd be vamps. I haven't dusted nearly enough this year. (to Spike) No offense.
Spike: That's all right.
Angel: Spike.
Spike: Right. (stands) First off, I'm not wearing any amulets. No bracelets, broaches, beads, pendants, pins, or rings.
Angel: Fine. All you need is a rattle.
Spike: Ah, the baby.
Angel: And a legion of the Fell Brethren.
(Wolfram & Hart – Lobby)
(Flashback to three of the Fell Brethren waiting in the lobby outside Angel's office before signing the contract to adopt the baby.)
Angel: (vo) I want the kid returned to his mother and the foster family dismembered.
(Spike’s Apartment)
Spike: Done and done.
Angel: Archduke Sebassis has over 40,000 demons at his command.
(Sebassis’s Mansion)
(Archduke Sebassis is taking a bubble bath. His slave prepares a glass of Sebassis's favorite blue beverage by uncorking his vein and allowing his blood to fill the glass.)
Angel: (vo) The other members of the council fear him. He's the key player, so he's mine.
(Spike’s Apartment)
Angel: Lorne...
Lorne: Uh, I'm not a fighter, Angelwings. I never had the stomach for it. Looks like I'm your weak link.
Angel: I just need you to back up Lindsey.
Wesley: I still can't believe you brought him in.
Angel: He's part of this. It'll be just as dangerous for him as it will be for everyone else on our team.
(Harmony’s Apartment)
(Harmony is lying on her bed in her light blue lacy bra and matching panties when someone reaches out to her, offering his thumb. She sucks on the tip of his thumb. )
Harmony: Mmm. (sighs) This just gets better and better every day. (Harmony sits up and the camera follows her to reveal she's in bed with Hamilton. She reaches for her wine glass full of blood from the nightstand and cuddles up to Hamilton.) Anyway—
Hamilton: Hmm.
Harmony: About Angel's secret plan...
(Spike’s Apartment)
(Angel has just handed out assignments to Wesley, Gunn, Spike, Illyria and Lorne.)
Gunn: So I guess we're not going back to the office after this.
Angel: (shakes his head) The alley just north of the Hyperion. Everyone who makes it meets there. If we do any damage at all, the senior partners are gonna rain hell on us. So be ready.
Lorne: (pulling Angel aside) Hey, Ange, uh, I'll do this last thing for you, for us... but then I'm out, and you won't find me in the alley afterwards. Hell, you won't find me at all. Do me a favor. Don't try. (walks out)
(Wesley grabs his coat and walks toward the door with Gunn and Illyria.)
Gunn: The day went by fast, huh?
Illyria: Try not to die. You are not unpleasant to my eyes.
Gunn: Uh, thanks. You... try not to die, too. (shakes hands with Wesley) Later, then. (walks out)
(Wesley looks at Angel for a long moment before he walks out. Illyria follows. Spike and Angel are the only ones left in the apartment now.)
Spike: (walks up to Angel) What do you think all this means for that Shanshu bugaboo? If we make it through this, does one of us get to be a real boy?
Angel: (crosses his arms) Who you kidding? We're not gonna make it through.
Spike: Well, long as it's not you.
(Cyvus Vail’s Mansion)
(Cyvus Vail is eating a bowl of soup (that resembles chopped up internal organs in a broth of blood) at one end of the long formal dinner table. Wesley is sitting at the opposite end of the table.)
Vail: I'm curious. (slurps a spoonful of soup) Mmm. What makes you think I won't kill you where you sit?
Wesley: Because you're smarter than the others. (Vail wipes the corners of his mouth with his napkin) Smart enough to have your doubts about Angel, and rightly so. He's...unpredictable, and worse, he has a conscience.
Vail: Well, you make a very persuasive argument.
Wesley: Wait. It gets better.
(Zoom in on Wesley's hand, hidden below the tabletop. He opens up his hand, and a fireball starts to form in his palm.)
(Lair of the Fell Brethren)
(Three hooded figures walk down the hallway. When the baby starts crying nearby, one of the hooded men stops to locate the baby. It's Spike.)
(Senator Brucker’s Campaign Office)
(The Senator is sitting at her desk, talking on the phone. Other workers in her office are keeping busy.)
Senator: (talking on the phone) I can't officially comment on that, but off the record, if Mr. Conley's recent confession is true, then he's a very sick man who needs professional help. (turns to face away from the door) One of the goals of my next term in Washington is stronger federal guidelines.
(Gunn walks in, unseen by the Senator, but noticed by others who work in the office. One of the workers swings at Gunn, who ducks and punches back.)
(Sahrvin Lair)
(The Sahrvin are scattered about the room. Some are smoking a hookah pipe and others are drinking and talking. Suddenly, the peaceful atmosphere of the room is disrupted by a loud bang. A man pushes a Sahrvin through the door, busting it down. It's Lindsey.)
(LA Street)
(Izzy and three other people walk to their car parked on the side of the street. They all get in the car. Izzy puts on his seatbelt, starts the engine, and turns on the headlights. When he looks up, he sees Illyria standing in front of the car. She looks at them, cocking her head with curiosity.)
(Wolfram & Hart – Lobby)
(Angel steps off the elevator into the lobby, where Harmony is waiting at her desk.)
Angel: Harmony, where's Hamilton?
Harmony: (stands) Records room. I've been keeping him busy like you said.
Angel: Good. I gotta stop buy the penthouse, but have my car ready, and just—(walks toward his office) ...make sure Hamilton stays busy.
Harmony: (smiles, writes something down in her notebook) No problemo, boss.
(Angel’s Apartment)
(Angel steps off the private elevator into his apartment. He makes a beeline for a fancy wooden box on the table; he opens it and takes out a knife with a curved blade. While examining the knife, Angel hears a door close behind him. Hamilton has just walked in.)
Hamilton: Going out?
Angel: Why? You wanna order in?
Hamilton: (walking slowly toward Angel) I hear you already have plans. Gonna take that when you visit Sebassis? Why don't I think that's a gift?
(Hamilton punches Angel immensely hard, sending him through the penthouse windows, where Angel falls outside for a few stories before finally falling through the glass ceiling into the lobby.)
(Lobby)
(Angel finally lands on the floor in front of the elevator. Harmony turns to see what happened. Angel moans as he tries to get to his feet.)
Harmony: Oh, my God!
Angel: Hamilton.
Harmony: (high pitched, defensively, backing away from Angel) He's not my boyfriend. I mean, I certainly didn't betray you.
Angel: (pushing himself to his feet) Drop the act, Harm.
Harmony: It's not an act. I'm really this nervous.
Angel: (stands) I knew you'd turn on me. I just didn't know when.
Harmony: (annoyed) What do you mean you knew?
Angel: Loyalty really isn't high on your list.
Harmony: Oh, is that right? I'll have you know I am damn loyal, dumbass. (crosses her arms)
Angel: (walks slowly, painfully toward her) You betrayed me. You are betraying me now, even as we are talking.
Harmony: (raising her voice) Because you never have any confidence in me.
Angel: No, because you have no soul.
Harmony: I would if you had confidence in me.
(Hamilton is on his way down in the private elevator.)
Angel: Get out of the building.
Harmony: Are you firing me?
Angel: Among other things, yes.
Harmony: (meekly) Do you think I could get a recommendation?
Angel: Yeah, OK.
Harmony: But see, if you don't so much live as the other thing, how—
Angel: It's already in the desk.
Harmony: (excited) You're the best. (goes to the desk to get her things)(Hamilton walks out of Angel's office, slowly heading straight for Angel) Good luck. Um... may the best man win? (shrugs, exits)
Hamilton: (staring at Angel) So.
Angel: Yeah. (punches Hamilton hard in the stomach, but doesn't make a dent)(sighs) Did that hurt at all?
Hamilton: Little bit. (grabs Angel by the windpipe; Angel winces as he's lifted off the ground) But it's all part of the job. (He throws Angel across the room so hard that Angel shatters a support post, going right through it. He picks Angel up off the floor; holds him by the lapels.) The senior partners have expended an awful lot of time and resources on you. Personally, I would have told them not to bother. (He throws Angel across the lobby again, where he crashes into the company logo on the balcony. Hamilton walks up the stairs towards Angel.) You're gutter trash, and that's where you should have stayed, drinking and whoring your way through an unremarkable life. But the fates stepped in and made you a vampire, with a soul, no less. A champion. A hero of the people. And yet, you still managed to fail everyone around you. Doyle. Cordelia. Fred. They're all gone. Now it's time you followed. (grabs Angel up out of the debris, looks into his face) Did you really think you were gonna kill Archduke Sebassis?
Angel: No...I think I already did.
(Sebassis Mansion)
(Archduke Sebassis is in his bubble bath. His servant has just prepared a glass of blue blood for him, and the Archduke sips it. Sebassis notices that it tastes funny, and he turns to look at his servant, but the servant has collapsed to the floor, bleeding from his mouth.)
(Secret Chamber)
(Flashback to the meeting of the Black Circle earlier, where Angel turned his ring right before pushing Sebassis's slave away from Vail.)
Angel: (vo) I spiked his drink.
(When Angel brings his hand away from the slave, a close-up of his hand reveals that there was a tiny needle sticking out from the ring. That's what caused the slave to squeal when Angel pushed him away.)
(Sebassis Mansion)
(Sebassis starts convulsing in the bathtub and drops his glass.)
(Wolfram & Hart – Lobby)
Angel: I figured you were the one I needed to be alone with.
Hamilton: Why? So I could kill you?
Angel: Well, I thought the fight would be going a little better.
Hamilton: Oh.
(Hamilton throws Angel off the balcony. He lands on the floor of the lobby.)
(Lair of the Fell Brethren)
(The baby is cooing in his crib as Spike approaches him, still disguised in the hooded robe of the Fell Brethren.)
Spike: Hello, Junior. The name's Spike. (picks up the baby) And lucky for you, I'm on a strict diet.
(When Spike turns to leave with the baby, he's faced with three of the Fell Brethren standing in the doorway.)
Fell Leader: Place the holy vessel back in the bassinet.
(Spike looks at the baby, who even seems to shake his head "no", then looks back at the Fell.)
Spike: (sighs) Right.
(Spike shrugs off the robe and fights off the brothers' attack while still holding the baby.)
(Sahrvin Lair)
(Lindsey, too, is engages in a fight with his demons, wielding a sword as he mows down one after another of the Sahrvins.)
(Cyvus Vail’s Mansion)
(Wesley slings Cyvus's body across the dining room where he hits a wall and slides down into a pile on the floor. Wesley walks slowly toward him.)
Wesley: Your influence on this world is over. The rest of the Circle will wither and die... (forms another fireball in his palm) like you're about to.
Vail: You don't know who you're dealing with, do you, boy? (groans as he gets to his feet) (holds out his hand, summons Wes's fireball into his hand, and extinguishes it) I mean, really. I crap better magic than this. Now then, let me show you what a real wizard can do.
(Vail raises his hand and Wesley winces.)
(Wolfram & Hart – Lobby)
(Hamilton is pummeling Angel in the lobby, punching him repeatedly in the face, but Angel manages to stay on his feet.)
Hamilton: Why do you keep fighting? You signed away your Shanshu. There's nothing in it for you anymore.
Angel: (punches Hamilton in the face) People who don't care about anything will never understand the people who do.
Hamilton: (punches Angel hard, sending him across the room again) Yeah, but we won't care.
(Angel writhes on the floor, groaning as Hamilton picks up a stake off Harmony's desk. Hamilton walks over to Angel, kneels to pick Angel up by the lapel as he rears back ready to plunge the stake into Angel's chest. But before he can do it, someone punches him in the face, sending him flying across the room away from Angel. Hamilton goes through a glass wall, shattering it. Pan out to show it was Connor who punched him.)
Connor: Care about that, dress-for-less? (offers Angel a hand to get to his feet)
Angel: What the hell are you doing here?
Connor: Come on. You drop by for a cup of coffee, and the world's not ending? Please.
(Senator Brucker’s Campaign Office)
(The fighting in the Senator's office can't go unnoticed at this point. Gunn has engaged nearly everyone else there, but the Senator remains on the phone, unfazed. She snaps her fingers at the one vampire who is still sitting at his desk computer instead of fighting off Gunn. The vampire goes for Gunn, but Gunn stakes him instantly. )
Senator: (on the phone) The families are protected against pedophiles and other undesirables. Even the United States govern—
(Gunn then turns his attention to the Senator as he reaches to grab the axe from his back and hurls it at the Senator's head. It lands in the middle of her forehead, cutting off her conversation in mid-sentence. She collapses to the floor, still holding the phone to her ear.)
Gunn: (to the remaining vampires) Looks like you boys are gonna need to find a new candidate. (the vampires encircle Gunn, growling) And you wonder why folks don't vote.
(Gunn straightens his arms, unfurling the stakes he had hidden up his sleeves. He stakes the first one that attacks him, but has to fight off the others with more difficulty.)
(LA Street)
(Illyria is walking away from Izzy's car. The car's hood is smoking, the roof has been smashed in violently, and there's blood stains on the ground near the car doors.)
(Wolfram & Hart – Angel’s Office)
(Eve is pacing nervously.)
(Sahrvin Lair)
(Lorne treads carefully as he walks around the former Sahrvin lair. The bloody bodies of the demons litter the floor. Lorne looks sick as he takes it all in. Lindsey is washing his hands at the sink.)
Lindsey: Those guys were chumps.
Lorne: Now they're chunks. Demon strength or no, you're quite the master swordsman.
Lindsey: Well, I couldn't have done it without that high note in MacArthur Park.
Lorne: Slays 'em every time.
Lindsey: Any word on the rest of the team?
Lorne: For all I know, we are the rest of the team. I haven't heard squat.
Lindsey: That's weird. (turns off the water)
Lorne: They'll call.
Lindsey: (dries his hands) No, I mean me saying "team" and meaning it. I kind of like the feeling.
Lorne: Yeah, today.
Lindsey: You really done with them?
Lorne: It isn't my kind of work anymore. It's unsavory.
Lindsey: Gee, I think it's just getting interesting.
Lorne: Yeah, I bet you do.
Lindsey: You don't trust me. You don't think a man can change?
Lorne: It's not about what I think. This was Angel's plan. (sighs)
Lindsey: Come on. (smiles) I could sing for you.
Lorne: I've heard you sing.
(He takes out a gun with a silencer and shoots Lindsey twice in the chest.)
Lindsey: (stumbling back, looking at his wounds, then at Lorne) Why—why did you...
Lorne: One last job. You're not part of the solution, Lindsey. You never will be.
Lindsey: (points at Lorne) You kill me? (collapses to the floor) A flunky?! I'm not just... Angel...kills me. You don't... Angel... (his rapid breathing comes to an end as his body goes limp)
Lorne: (sighs, looks down) Good night, folks. (drops gun on floor as he walks out)
(Cyvus Vail’s Mansion)
(Wesley is grunting quietly in pain as he's held in the air by Vail's magic.)
Vail: (circling Wesley, scoffing) Did you really think you had a shot at this? I can bend the very fabric of reality to my will. Your parlor tricks could never kill me, boy. (standing in front of Wesley, laughs)
Wesley: (straining) Then I'll just... have to do this... the old-fashioned way. (takes out a switch-blade knife, pops the blade and tries to stab Vail)
Vail: (stops Wesley from stabbing him) Yes... I suppose we will.
(He summons a large knife from the wall to him and thrusts it into Wes's stomach. Wesley gasps as Vail turns the knife. Wesley conjures one more large fireball in his palm, and it explodes, the force of it sending Vail across the room into a wall, knocking him out, which releases Wesley from his grip. Wesley falls, but lands on his feet. He stumbles and is about to fall to the ground when Illyria rushes into the room. She catches him in her arms and kneels beside him on the floor.)
Illyria: Wesley. (inspects his wound) This wound is mortal.
Wesley: (he touches his wound) Aren't we all? (looks at her, smiles) It was good... that you came.
Illyria: I killed all mine, and I was...
Wesley: Concerned?
Illyria: I think so. But I can't help. You'll be dead within moments.
Wesley: I know.
Illyria: Would you like me to lie to you now?
Wesley: (looks at her weakly) Yes. (closes his eyes in a slow, pained blink) Thank you. Yes. (opens his eyes to see Fred's face, her hand stroking his cheek) Hello there.
Fred: (trying to smile through her tears) Oh, Wesley. My Wesley.
Wesley: Fred. (whispering) I've missed you.
Fred: (kisses his lips twice gently, sniffles, kisses his forehead) It's gonna be OK. It won't hurt much longer, and then you'll be where I am. (crying) We'll be together.
Wesley: I—I love you.
Fred: (smiles through her tears) I love you. My love. Oh, my love.
(Wesley only stares motionless, lifeless in her arms. She lets him go, gently placing his head on the floor. Illyria as Fred blinks slowly and sighs through gritted teeth before getting to her feet. Vail is conscious and on his feet again, standing behind Illyria.)
Vail: (approaching Illyria) How very touching his meaningless death was, but this fight was never for mortals. (groans as Illyria turns to face him angrily, in the form of Fred) Oh. (chuckles) Take your best shot, little girl.
(Illyria swings a powerful punch at Vail's head, transforming her shape from Fred to blue Illyria in mid-swing, ultimately shattering Vail's head with the force of her swing.)
(Wolfram & Hart – Lobby)
(Connor and Angel have teamed up to fight Hamilton. They fight hand-to-hand, kicking, punching, and so forth.)
Hamilton: (head-butts Connor) What is with you people?
(He throws Connor into the elevator doors, where he collapses to the floor.)
Angel: Connor!
(He tries to go to Connor, but is blocked by Hamilton. Angel tries to fight Hamilton but is instead thrown across the room by him again. Angel lands on the concrete steps.)
Hamilton: (straightens his tie, walks toward Angel) Let me say this as clearly as I can. You cannot beat me. I am a part of them. The Wolf, Ram, and Hart. Their strength flows through my veins. My blood is filled with their ancient power.
Angel: (gets to his feet, smirks) Can you pick out the one word there you probably shouldn't have said?
(Angel transforms into his vampire facade as he attacks Hamilton, biting him painfully in the jugular. Angel drinks from him, holding on tenaciously as Hamilton struggles to get free. Hamilton is finally able to pull Angel's head away from his neck, and he throws him across the room again, but this time Angel controls his motion, managing to rotate in the air and land on his feet.) Wow. (wipes his lip) You really are full of it. (Hamilton swings at Angel, but Angel ducks) What was that you were saying about ancient power?
(Hamilton throws another punch at Angel, but Angel catches his arm and punches Hamilton in the ribs. Hamilton swings with his free arm, hitting Angel in the face, but Angel returns the favor, punching Hamilton in the face. )
Hamilton: (grabbing Angel's windpipe again, holding him in the air) You don't really think you're gonna win this, do you? You don't stand a chance. We are legion. We are forever.
(Angel breaks free of Hamilton's grip and punches him repeatedly in the chest and stomach. Hamilton stumbles backwards, and Angel sweep-kicks him in the ankles, bringing Hamilton to the floor. Hamilton struggles to get up.)
Angel: (Hamilton gets to his knees, but Angel punches him in the face) Then I guess forever... (punches Hamilton in the face again, and again) just got a hell of a lot shorter.
(Finally, Angel punches Hamilton in the face so hard that it breaks his neck. Hamilton falls to the ground with a final grunt. Angel sighs as he stands over Hamilton. Connor gets to his feet.)
Connor: Is he dead?
Angel: Yeah, he's dead.
(The building starts shaking and rumbling. Windows are cracking. The building is coming apart.)
Connor: Uh, that's not good, is it?
Angel: Wolfram & Hart. Looks like they're taking the gloves off.
Connor: What do we do?
Angel: You go home.
Connor: Huh?
Angel: This is my fight.
Connor: That's some serious macho—(some of the building debris falls on him) Aah!
(The concrete support beam falls from the ceiling onto the lobby floor.)
Angel: Go home...now.
Connor: They'll destroy you.
Angel: As long as you're OK, they can't. (the building rumbles as yet another concrete ceiling joist falls, crushing the balcony) Go.
(Connor looks at Angel before running down the hallway to leave. Angel looks around as the building crumbles before his eyes. He goes into his office to get Eve.)
Eve: What the hell is going on?!
Angel: Looks like we're getting kicked out of the garden, Eve.
Eve: Where's Lindsey? (Angel turns to go, but she grabs his arm) Where is he?
Angel: He's not coming for you.
Eve: You—
Angel: Time to go. (walks away)
Eve: (shakes her head helplessly, watching him leave) Go where?
(Alley)
(Angel runs down the alley behind the Hyperion, carrying his sword, running through the pouring rain (in a scene reminiscent of the last image in the opening credits). When he gets to the chain-link fence at the end of the alley, he looks around for the others, but doesn't see anyone. The sky thunders above him as the heavy rain continues.)
Spike: Boo. (walks out from the shadows)
Angel: Anyone else?
Spike: Not so far. You feel the heat?
Angel: It's coming.
Spike: Finally got ourselves a decent brawl.
Gunn: (running down the street toward them, carrying his homemade battle-axe) Damn! How did I know the fang boys would pull through? (his steps become progressively less sure, weaker) You're lucky we're on the same side, dogs, 'cause I was on fire tonight. (weakly) My game was tight. (almost collapses, but Angel and Spike catch him, helping him to a box on which he can sit down)
Spike: (looking at Gunn's wounds) You're supposed to wear the red stuff on the inside, Charlie boy.
Gunn: (looks down at his wounds) Any word on Wes?
Illyria: (jumps down from the chain-link fence to stand behind Angel) Wesley's dead. (Angel looks heartbroken; Gunn cries; Spike hangs his head) I'm feeling grief for him. (a crowd clamors in the background) I can't seem to control it. I wish to do more violence.
Spike: (the noisy crowd is getting closer) Well, wishes just happen to be horses today.
Angel: Among other things.
(Angel looks at the approaching crowd. It's hundreds, if not thousands, of demons of all sorts, shapes and sizes. A huge winged dragon flies angrily toward them overhead.)
Gunn: OK. You take the 30,000 on the left...
Illyria: You're fading. You'll last 10 minutes at best.
Gunn: (stands) Then let's make 'em memorable.
(Angel steps forward and Spike, Gunn and Illyria follow. Spike is standing off to Angel's right side. Angel is flanked a step behind by Gunn on the right and Illyria on the left. They stare at the horde of demons approaching them in the alley.)
Spike: In terms of a plan?
Angel: We fight.
Spike: Bit more specific.
Angel: (steps forward) Well, personally, I kind of want to slay the dragon. (the demon horde attacks) Let's go to work.
(He swings his sword.)
(Fade to black.)
Season Five Guide