Slouching Towards Bethlehem
(Los Angeles – Street – Night)
(A family in a Jeep Cherokee are pulled off to the side of the road near an overpass. The car's hood is up, and the Dad is looking at the engine.)
Dad: Try it again, honey. (sound of car trying to start but the engine is not turning over) Let's see. Yeah. One more time. (car makes the same sound)
(The Mom and teenage son are in the car.)
Son: He's just making it worse.
Mom: Your father's just trying to get us home.
(Connor walks up to the teen's window.)
Connor: You OK?
Son: (scared) Dad?
Dad: Can I help you?
Connor: You're in trouble.
Dad: No, we're fine.
Connor: (to son) I like your hat.
Dad: Really, thanks for stopping, but, uh, but we've already called for help.
(There's a noise of an approaching vehicle from behind them, and the Dad turns to look. When he turns back, Connor has disappeared. A tow truck with yellow flashing lights pulls up in front of the car, but there's something off. They were driving like maniacs and blaring rock music. They get out of the car, and the Dad turns to talk to them.)
Dad: Hey, you guys are just in time. Not sure if we needed a jump or a tow.
Driver: (in vamp face) I vote jump.
(The vampire lunges for the Dad and attacks him, while his cohort goes for the Mom and Teen in the car. Mom sees him coming and locks the door, so the vampire beats on the window, trying to smash it in. The vampire is still punching the Dad outside, and the vampire going for Mom has broken through the glass, grabbing Mom. She screams, but then the vampire turns to dust in front of her eyes. After the dust clears, show Connor standing there.)
Connor: You OK?
Mom: Uh-huh.
(Connor reaches inside and punches the cigarette lighter in. Then he goes to help Dad fight the vampire attacking him. Connor grabs a container full of gas and beats the vampire with it, spilling gas all over it. The he runs back to the car, grabs the hot cigarette lighter, and tosses it to the vampire.)
Connor: Hey. (tosses lighter to vampire, who ignites and explodes) (to Father) Is that your family?
Son: Dad!
(Dad can't even deal with what's gone on. He gestures that Connor leave him alone, and he goes back to the Jeep to be with his family. Connor longingly watches them hug.)
(Hyperion Hotel)
(Connor jumps onto a balcony at the hotel and breaks the latch on one of the windows, letting himself in. Connor is sneaking stealthily down one of the hotel corridors. Then, when he's near the lobby, he hears the discovery of Cordelia by her friends. Cordelia is standing in the lobby in a long white gown.)
Gunn: (os) OK, but three is where I draw the…
Angel: (os) Cordelia?
(Connor peeks over the railing at them.)
Cordelia: Who are you people?
Angel: My God! It's you. You're back. (Cordelia backs away) Don't you remember? Angel. (to Fred and Gunn) Um, you see her too, right? I'm not just…
Gunn: No, man, it's real.
Angel: (to Cordelia) It's OK. We're friends. You know us. Fred. Gunn. You're dazed or something must— Thank God you're back.
Cordelia: So we know each other?
Angel: Yeah, really well.
Cordelia: OK, um... who am I?
Angel: What do you remember?
Cordelia: I don't know. Numbers. Animals. Flossing.
Angel: But not us.
Cordelia: Or me. I don't remember me.
Angel: You're Cordelia Chase. You work here. With us. You've been gone for a while, but you're safe now. (steps toward her, but she steps back) It's OK. We-we're friends. We're here to help you.
Cordelia: I've been gone?
Angel: What's important is that you're back?
(Connor was watching, but steps out of sight just as Cordelia looks up to where he was standing.)
Cordelia: Are there other people here?
Fred: Um, not to sound all "Movie of the Week", but I think you might have some kind of amnesia. Like maybe you fell or banged your head.
Gunn: Should we take her to a hospital?
Cordelia: (scared) Hospital? I don't need a— (polite) Not yet, maybe later.
Fred: (whispers) I don't think seeing a doctor will solve her problems.
Angel: (sees Lorne approaching from the garden, Angel whispers to Fred and Gunn) Neither will seeing green. (to Cordelia) You wanna know what might help you remember? Seeing some of your things. (to Gunn) You wanna check for her things out in the garden?
Gunn: Checking away.
(Gunn rushes outside and pushes Lorne out of sight before Cordelia can see him.)
Angel: Hey, Fred. You wanna help me look in the office?
Fred: Sure. (to Cordelia) Excuse us.
(Angel’s Office)
(Fred and Angel talk in the office, while Cordelia watches them from the lobby.)
Angel: That could've been a disaster. Hi. Welcome back, you're safe. By the way, there's a green demon right behind you.
Fred: Don't you think we should tell her? I mean we do live in a world of demons and icky things. She's bound to find out.
Angel: (rifling through papers on the desk) Well, yeah, sure, but I mean let's be smart. I want her to remember who I am before I freak her out with the whole undead, drinks blood part of my resume.
Fred: Angel, aren't you curious about why she's back?
Angel: (stops) I hadn't even— I was just so happy to see her. Why is she back?
Fred: I don't know. But if Cordy's been where I think she has, anything's possible.
(Angel and Fred both look at her through the window.)
(Lobby)
(Cordelia is alone in the lobby, still very uncomfortable about where she is and who these people are. She sees Angel and Fred staring at her. They wave at her.)
Cordelia: OK, that's creepy. (Sees a bladed weapon on the floor.) So's that.
(Angel and Fred come back into the lobby from the office.)
Angel: Couldn't really find anything of yours in the office.
Cordelia: (steps back) That's OK. (phone rings) Shouldn't someone answer that?
Angel: (walks toward her) The machine'll get it. (beat) You really don't have to be afraid.
Cordelia: Easy for you to say. I don't know that. Don't know you, this place...
Cordelia’s Voice: (on answering machine) Hi. You've reached Angel Investigations. We can't come to the phone right now, but if you leave your name and number, we'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks! And wait for the beep. (beep)
Cordelia: But that voice— Oh, my God! It's me. I work here.
Murray: (on machine) Uh, yeah, this is Murray, down at the spa. Listen, it's after midnight, and uh, you better get down here. That demon broad came back. Looks like she's gonna try and hatch her blood-sucking little…
(Angel coughs and gestures subtly that Fred should get the phone before Cordelia hears too much and gets frightened.)
Fred: (grabs phone) We're here. Uh-huh. OK. We'll be right there.
Cordelia: Did—he say "demon broad"?
Fred: Yeah. His, um, wife. It's an ugly divorce case thing. You know, private eye stuff. (to Angel) I should get Charles and terminate it before the situation multiplies.
(Cordelia turns her head to Angel, and Fred mimes giving birth, trying to explain what's going on for Angel without letting Cordelia know.)
Angel: OK. I'll just stay here and help Cordelia settle in.
Fred: Ok.
(Fred runs out to the garden. Cordelia's expression shows suspicion, like she knows there's more going on than they're telling her.)
Angel: So…
Cordelia: I wanna go home. Know where I live?
(Cordelia’s Bedroom)
(Angel opens the door to one of the rooms at the hotel and flips on the light. All of Cordelia's belongings have been stored here, boxed up.)
Cordelia: (walks in) This is it? Everything?
Angel: (stands near door) Fred and Gunn, they moved everything over from your old apartment after you— (she picks up a strappy shoe from one of the boxes) You remember that? You wore it when we went to the ballet.
Cordelia: The ballet? For real? You and me?
Angel: We all went, but yeah. (beat) Pretty special. (Cordelia walks around room.) I thought maybe you'd remember because... It's too bad. We had, uh, a really good time. Working together too.
Cordelia: (picks up teddy bear) I wish I could remember.
Angel: (steps closer) Me too. I wanna help you get those memories back.
Cordelia: (sits down) Great. (beat) But not tonight.
Angel: (backs up to door) I-I understand. If you need any…
Cordelia: I will.
Angel: You really are among friends. (closes door)
(Time Lapse)
(Cordelia is changed into black pants and a scoop-necked long-sleeved olive green shirt. She's looking at herself in a large oval dressing mirror while sitting on the edge of the bed.)
Cordelia: Cordelia. (chipper) Hi. I'm Cordy. I'm Cordelia Chase. I'm— Just breathe. Just breathe. (sighs, walks to a nearby table) Sunnydale. (opens yearbook, sees picture of her as cheerleader) OK, popular. No real surprise there. (flips to messages written by classmates) (reading) "Cordelia, homeroom was fun. Too bad it burnt to the ground." What? (reading) "Hey, how 'bout that giant snake." (reading) "Dear Cordelia, thanks for the flaming arrows." Flaming arrows? (Walks to box with pictures, flips through. They are all pictures of her.) That's cute. Cute. Hot. Yikes. OK, out from the mental ward. Cute again. Was I a spy? (Sees a picture of her holding baby Connor standing with Angel.) Whose—?
(Hallway)
(Cordelia walks out of her room and into the hallway. Walking down the hallway, she hears noises from a nearby room. She stop to listen. It's a voice singing. She follows the sound.)
Guy: (os) Sugar, sugar, bah bah bum bum bum. You are my candy girl.
Lorne: OK, OK, jug head. That's enough. That's enough. Look, I'll make this simple. (Cordelia listens at the door.) You, you have an addiction. You know it and I know it. Now if you don't stop snacking on you-know-who's you're gonna end up on the wrong end of you-know…
(Lorne goes to the door and looks out, but Cordelia has left before he could see her. He goes back to the guy who was singing for him, who's drooling profusely.)
Guy: What?
(Lobby)
Cordelia: Hello? (beat) Somebody down here?
(Out of sight, Angel is moving large mugs of blood off of the counter. She goes downstairs to the counter and sees a drop of blood on the counter where the mugs were. She touches it, realizes it's blood and freaks.)
Cordelia: Hello? (Angel sneaks out of the room.) Oh, my God.
(Door opens, and Cordelia hides behind the counter. Fred and Gunn come in to the lobby disheveled and covered in pink goo. They're carrying weapons they used in fighting tonight.)
Gunn: How much do I hate those little babies?
Fred: Tell me about it. I couldn't squish-squash fast enough.
Gunn: I know we get paid to do it, but that's the kind of mayhem I would do for free.
(They lay their weapons on the countertop, right above Cordelia’s head.)
Fred: I'm gonna be washing their teeny brains out of my hair for a week.
Gunn: Hang on. Turn around.
Fred: What is it?
Gunn: You don't even want to know. Just hold still.
Fred: Charles, we should go upstairs. Cordelia doesn't want to know we do this kind of exterminating.
(A drop of blood from their weapons is forming right over Cordelia's head. It's going to drop on her any moment if she doesn't move.)
Gunn: Hang on, almost got it. When do you think fang boy's gonna come clean with her, huh? Spill the really real?
Fred: I'm sure the time will present itself…(Cordelia jumps to avoid the blood droplet. Fred and Gunn turn to see her. She runs away, backing into a weapons cabinet, causing lots of exotic weapons to fall on the floor.) It's OK. Cordelia...
(Cordelia freaks, and runs, but Angel's in her path.)
Angel: I can explain.
(He grabs her, but she recoils. She runs out into the garden.)
(Garden)
(In the garden, Cordelia's attacked by two men clothed in black. She's able to fight them off with great karate-like moves. Angel, Fred, and Gunn run out to the garden to help her.)
Cordelia: Wow. How did I—? (beat) I am a spy. (Angel sighs) I get it now. You're all spies. Probably all Russian. And you've brainwashed me, and want me to believe we're friends so I'll spill the beans about some nano-techno-thingy that you want.
Gunn: So... I look Russian to you?
Cordelia: Black Russian.
Angel: That's a drink.
Cordelia: Says the head spy.
Angel: Nobody here is a spy. Those two guys are lawyers—weird as that may seem—from Wolfram and Hart. They must know you're back. We'll have to keep her in the hotel so she's safe…
Cordelia: Safe? Is that some kind of joke? (pointing at Fred and Gunn) Your friends here were just talking about murdering children. And there's-there's-there's singing and blood and-and pointy things. And did I mention the singing? I mean, what the hell is going on here, Angie?
Angel: Angel.
Cordelia: Whatever.
Angel: I know things seem weird. Maybe even scary. But you have to believe me when I tell you we're trying to do everything we can to help you get through this difficult time. The Cordelia that we know—the person who you're trying to remember—is very much at home here, bizarre as that may seem. So I ask you to look inside, to believe me when I tell you that you're safe and you're among friends who only want the best for you.
Cordelia: (calm) I believe you.
(Angel smiles.)
(Cordelia’s Bedroom)
(Cordelia's sitting on her bed, talking to Angel who's standing in the doorway.)
Cordelia: So, I'm not a spy?
Angel: No.
Cordelia: Am I a mom?
(Angel walks forward, and she hands him a picture of baby Connor.)
Angel: That's my son. That's Connor. But no, you're not his mother.
Cordelia: So, we weren't a happy family?
Angel: (sits next to her) Not like that.
Cordelia: And you and me? We weren't…
Angel: Weren't...
Cordelia: Together? (leans in for a kiss)
Angel: (leans in for a kiss) Not exactly.
Cordelia: (suddenly pulling back before they kiss) Was I a nun?
Angel: A what?
Cordelia: Were we not a happy family because I was a nun? (reaches over to a box next to her) I was going through my stuff (grabs a handful of rosaries) and I found all these…
(Cordelia puts numerous rosaries adorned with crucifixes in Angel's hands, causing him to vamp out uncontrollably. He growls, and she screams.)
(Hallway)
(Cordelia ran out of her room and down the hallway frantically escaping vamped-out Angel.)
(Lobby)
(Cordelia ends up in the lobby and runs into Lorne. They fall down, with him on top of her. They are face to face. When each realizes who/what they're looking at, they both scream. Cordelia starts beating on Lorne's chest and pushes him off.)
Cordelia: Get off me. (stutters while she beats on him)
Lorne: I'm getting. I'm getting. Just stop the clobbering.
(Angel runs in to the lobby, and grabs Cordelia.)
Angel: Cordelia, stop. Stop. It's OK. It's OK. He's with us.
Lorne: (stands) Hey, if this was about that missing lingerie, that was for a friend.
Cordelia: Tell me that this is Halloween, and he isn't what I think he is.
Lorne: Trick or treat.
(Fred and Gunn enter the lobby, and go to Lorne.)
Fred: Don't you remember Lorne? You two are old buddies.
Gunn: Yeah, you, uh, wanna know why we call him Lorne?
Cordelia: What I want is answers, and I want 'em now, mister!
Angel: OK. Maybe we haven't been a hundred percent... honest because, well, we were afraid the truth would scare you.
Cordelia: Yeah, and the lying and deceit have been so comforting.
Angel: You're right. Our mistake. I think it's time we came clean. About everything.
(Time Lapse)
(Cordelia's sitting down on one of the chairs in the lobby, with everyone else facing her.)
Cordelia: That's... everything? (sighs) It all makes perfect sense now. (stands, paces) I was a cheerleader, a princess and a warrior. And I have visions and super powers and I'm the target of an evil law firm because I've spent the last three months living on a higher plane, fighting for the forces of good, who wage a battle against (counts on her fingers) demons and evilies and squishy bug babies, 'cause all that stuff's real and that's the world I live in. And I think I know why I don't remember any of this 'cause, hey— who'd want to!
Lorne: Um, (offers his glass to her) sea breeze?
Angel: I know it's a lot to take in.
Cordelia: Says the vampire with a soul and his wacky gang of sidekicks.
Gunn: (raises his hand) Um, not a sidekick.
Angel: I think there's a way we might be able to sort this out. Pick a song.
Cordelia: Yeah— What?
Fred: So Lorne can read you.
Gunn: You sing, he sees your future.
Angel: Hopefully he'll be able to explain what's happened and how we can get your memory back.
Cordelia: I can't just sing. I-I don't even know if I'm even musical. Am I?
Gunn: Sure? You remember any songs?
Cordelia: W-well, there's so many. How do I pick?
Angel: It doesn't really matter. (softly) I'm kinda a ballad man myself, but, uh... just pick anything.
Cordelia: (singing poorly) Because the greatest love of all is happening to me. I've found the greatest love of all inside of me. The greatest love of all is easy to achieve. Learning to love yourself…
(While Cordelia's singing, Lorne looks shocked and upset.)
Fred: (quietly to Gunn) Does he look a little green to you... I mean, more than usual?
Lorne: (interrupting Cordelia) Uh, great, enough. OK! You were great. (backs toward the door)You were great. E-everything's great. We're all just, uh... I see, uh, a very, very, um... (leaves the room)
Cordelia: Was I really that bad?
Angel: Wasn't you. It was... the song. It reminds him of... um... (leaves, following Lorne)
Cordelia: Oh, come on! You guys aren't even good liars. This is ridiculous. (walks toward the door)
Gunn: Where you going?
Cordelia: Out. Away. Does it matter?
Fred: But it's not safe.
Cordelia: Oh, right, 'cause of evil ninja law firm.
Gunn: We'll come with, just in case.
Cordelia: You keep telling me I was a higher being. Don't make me turn you into a rat. (slams door)
Gunn: Can she do that?
Fred: Um... come on.
(Hallway)
(Fred and Gunn follow Cordelia down the hallway.)
Fred: How 'bout a sandwich. Let's go to the kitchen.
Gunn: We have cookies.
Cordelia: I don't want a sandwich. I don't want cookies. I wanna talk to Angel, sans sidekicks. (walks off)
Gunn: I am not a sidekick.
(Another Hallway)
(Angel knocks on a door.)
Angel: Lorne. Talk to me. What'd you see?
Lorne: (os) Go away.
Angel: If it's that bad, I need to know.
Lorne: (opens door) It's that bad. G'night. (tries to close door, but Angel stops him)
Angel: I need details.
Lorne: I got none. Just a splitting migraine, a tummy full of rattlesnakes, and a strong suspicion I'm gonna lose my lunch again if I don't start drinking myself silly. (tries to shut door again, Angel stops him)
Angel: C'mon, Lorne. You gotta give me something.
Lorne: (sighs) Do the words "slouching towards Bethlehem" ring a bell? Or how about despair, torment, terror? And I'm not referring to little missy's choice of song, either, although that was horrifying in its own right. What I saw was jumbled. It was pieces, flashes. It was enough to make my skin crawl away and scamper under the bed. Evil's coming, Angel, and it's planning on staying.
(Wesley’s Apartment)
(In bed together, Wesley is holding Lilah in his arms. She's cuddling up to him, with her head on his chest.)
Lilah: It's not a secret.
Wesley: What isn't a secret?
Lilah: Us. The firm knows that we're... doing this.
Wesley: Isn't it their job to know this sort of thing. The sordid details of their employees lives.
Lilah: Mmm... Yeah, I just thought I should tell you. Sordid. Rrreow. Angel knows too.
Wesley: I don't work for Angel anymore. And I could care less what he thinks.
Lilah: You faker. That's what you said when he was sleeping with the fishes. We both know how that played out.
Wesley: That was different. So Angel knows about our relationship. (Lilah's eyes flash open) Big deal.
Lilah: (climbs on top of him, she's wearing a slinky red nightgown) A dollar. You owe me a dollar.
Wesley: Oh, damn!
Lilah: You called this a relationship. (kisses his forehead) You lost the bet. (Wesley grabs his wallet off the bedside table.) You said it first. (Wesley hands her a dollar.) Sign it first, as proof.
Wesley: Proof of what?
Lilah: Of now. Of this. (nuzzles his nose, they kiss)
(Hyperion – Angel Investigations – Hallway)
(Cordelia's wandering through the halls of the hotel, presumably still looking for Angel.)
Cordelia: How big is this dump? Angel? Mr. Bumpy-face? Hello? (hears a noise, but nothing's there) Look, I don't want cookies or juice or you two following me around, so just back off.
(A person steps out from the shadows, and it's that guy who was singing for Lorne earlier.)
Guy: You smell good.
(His mouth opens and another mouth comes out of it, full of sharp teeth and drool. He makes a strange growling roaring sound, and Cordelia screams and runs away.)
(Lobby)
(Cordelia runs in. Angel's ear picks up the sound from the other side of the hotel, and he runs to her aid. The Guy follows Cordelia, and lands right in front of her. She stops, frightened stiff.)
Cordelia: What do you want?
Guy: A snack.
(Just then, someone jumps down on the Drooling Guy and knocks him down. It's Connor.)
Connor: You're not safe here.
Cordelia: Ya think?
(The Guy tries to get up, and Connor throws a dagger at him in the stomach. He falls down.)
Cordelia: Can you get me out of here?
(Connor offers her his hand, and they leave together before Angel ever shows up in the lobby.)
(Time Lapse)
(In the lobby, Angel, Fred, and Gunn are looking at the corpse of the Guy.)
Angel: How could you let her wander off alone?
Fred: The words "grown woman" come to mind.
Gunn: And the gal does have a history of whooping ass. I mean, you saw the hurting she put on those Wolfram and Hart dudes. And could she really turn me into a rat?
Angel: What if Wolfram and Hart came back? (steps back) What if there were hundreds of those things? What if this is the way it starts? I mean, the slouching and the Bethlehem. And they've taken her because of what she knows—even if she can't remember she knows it.
(Angel goes to the front doors and locks them, seeming somewhat panicked.)
Fred: Have you been caffeinating your blood again, or is there something you're not telling us?
Lorne: (walks into the room) Oh, there's a something, but this isn't it. That was just a client of mine who had a fatal habit of snacking on humans.
Angel: And you let it in here with Cordy?
Fred: Hello, back to the something. Is that why you ran out while Cordelia was singing?
Lorne: Well, A: I wasn't running, I was fleeing, and B: Yes.
Gunn: Well, how horrible is this thing?
Lorne: Well, I haven't read the Book of Revelations lately, but if I was searching for adjectives, I'd probably start there. (Angel stands.)
Fred: Was that all you saw?
Lorne: That was the tip of the 'berg, pumpkin nut. What I got from Cordy was dense. (Angel goes to weapons cabinet) A big, fat, tummy-clinching onion from hell. The more layers you peel, the more you cry. Or vomit, in this case. But I tell ya, this is one itch daddy's done a-scratching.
(Angel hands out weapons to Fred and Gunn and takes one for himself.)
Angel: Look, we got to get Cordelia before— We have to find her. She's out there, alone. No memory. Probably terrified.
(Natural History Museum)
(Shot of a stuffed polar bear standing on its hind legs. It's an exhibit in a museum. There's blue lights behind it, making the scene feel arctic.)
Cordelia: How cool is that?
Connor: I love that one. I wish I'd killed it.
Cordelia: Kind of a funny way to express your affection. I love you... bang, you're dead. (Connor starts walking away through storage area, Cordelia follows.) I gotta ask, why were you at the hotel? You live there?
Connor: No.
Cordelia: Just decided to drop by?
Connor: I saw you were back.
Cordelia: So, we know each other? We're friends?
Connor: You were nice to me once.
Cordelia: What about the others? You friends with them?
Connor: (starts climbing a ladder) This way.
Cordelia: Um, if we're gonna be climbing ladders together, maybe, I don't know, you could throw a name at me.
Connor: Connor.
Cordelia: Connor? Really, that's funny, Angel has a baby named Connor. Did he name it af— Oh, my God.
(Attic)
(Connor opens a metal double-door.)
Cordelia: You're him. You're Angel's son.
Connor: It's not like I got to choose.
(Connor flips the light on. The attic room is sparse, but he's fixed it up with a bed and some blankets to make a nice place to crash. It resembles a lodge with all the mounted, stuffed animal heads and the warm incandescent lighting.)
Cordelia: What is this place?
Connor: (removes fast food containers from the bed) Home.
Cordelia: (walks around) This is home? If you're Angel's son, why don't you live with him?
Connor: (sits on bed) They didn't tell you? I sunk him to the bottom of the ocean... to punish him.
Cordelia: (laughs, then stops) You're serious.
Connor: I tried to kill you too. I was new to this world. Didn't understand. Put a knife to your throat. Sorry.
Cordelia: Thank you. (walks to him) You're the first person who's been straight with me. (sits beside him on the bed) That’s told me the truth. (touches his hand) Means a lot.
(Wesley’s Apartment)
(In bed together, Lilah and Wesley are sleeping, not entwined. Lilah's cell phone rings. Still wearing the slinky red nightgown, she turns the bedside light on, and answers the phone.)
Lilah: (into phone) Yeah. (she looks at Wesley who is still asleep) Hold on. (She gets out of bed and goes into the bathroom, partially closing the door behind her.) Yeah? (Wesley opens his eyes.) She’s back? And you got a positive visual of her? You’re sure that it’s her? (Wesley gets up and stands outside the door, listening.) Uh huh. She’s with the kid? That’s unexpected. (She turns to check the door, but Wesley is back in bed, feigning sleep) No, I’m here. Put an extraction team together. I’m on my way. (She hangs up the phone and goes back into the bedroom.)
(Wesley turns over as if he’s just woken up.)
Wesley: You're leaving.
Lilah: Huh. No rest for the wicked. You should go back to sleep.
Wesley: Do you really have to go?
Lilah: (walks to him) Why? You missing me already? (kisses his forehead)
(She picks up her keys and her purse from the bedside table, and the signed dollar bill Wesley gave her falls to the floor. She takes her jacket and walks out the door.)
(Natural History Museum – Attic)
(Cordelia is asleep in the bed. Connor is sitting in the window, working on something. He gets up and heads for the door.)
Cordelia: You're not leaving.
Connor: I thought you were sleeping.
Cordelia: Just, don't go, OK?
Connor: (loops the wire of whatever he was working on onto the doorknob) I'm locking the door. (stands beside the bed) You're safe.
Cordelia: Then why am I so scared? (sits up in bed) I'm trying to remember little things. Do I have brothers and sisters? What's my favorite food? Who was my first kiss? There's nothing there. Just an empty... (starts to cry) Do you know how lonely that makes me feel?
Connor: You like shoes. And donuts. And you're very brave.
Cordelia: (holding her head in her hands) Really? (looks at him) Donuts?
Connor: (sits on bed beside her) And, you're brave.
Cordelia: When was I brave?
Connor: Now. Tonight. You lost everything and you're still strong.
Cordelia: (shifts to face him) I have this horrible feeling that something bad is going to happen. Or maybe has happened. And I can't remember it. And I don't know what to do—or who to trust—except you. I don't know why, but I trust you. Why do I get the feeling that you've lost everything too?
Connor: I had nothing to lose. (goes to window)
Cordelia: Don't go too far, OK?
(Connor sits in the window.)
(Hyperion – Angel Investigations)
(Fred and Gunn are looking over a map of Los Angeles.)
Fred: She's gotta be somewhere close.
Gunn: Then Angel will find her.
Fred: What is she's not on her own? What if she's been taken, or...
Gunn: She's out there somewhere.
Angel: (walks into the room) Nothing. We're gonna have to widen the search. All hospitals, police stations. She couldn't have just disappeared. (beat) OK, once. But not again. Somebody has to know where Cordelia is.
Wesley: (os) I do. (They all turn to look at him.) A bit careless, misplacing her after all the effort to find her.
Angel: We didn't find her, she just showed up. With no memory, no idea who she is or where she's been.
Wesley: Fresh start. Doesn't sound so bad. (walks forward)
Angel: What do you know?
Wesley: Wolfram and Hart are planning to extract her.
Gunn: Already tried.
Wesley: They'll try again. She might have spent time with the Powers That Be. Wolfram and Hart will consider her valuable. And I doubt your boy will be able to stop them.
Angel: My— She's with Connor? You have that on good authority?
Wesley: You don't seem too concerned.
Angel: Connor's my son. I'm sure he's taking excellent care of her.
(Natural History Museum – Attic)
(Cordelia is sleeping in the bed on her side. Pan out to show Connor's sleeping beside her with his arm around her waist. She turns to lie on her back, and Connor's hand ends up cupping her breast. Her eyes widen when she realizes this, but before she can say anything, Connor is on top of her, covering her mouth with his hand.)
Connor: Someone's here.
(The door to the attic opens, and a man clad all in black steps into the room. He trips the wire on the trap Connor set earlier, and ends up hanging upside down by his foot. Connor take a stick and proceeds to beat the man profusely about the head and shoulders.)
Connor: Do you remember how to fight?
Cordelia: What?
Connor: They're coming for you. I've set traps, but you'll have to fight. Do you know how?
(Connor hands a sword to Cordelia, who's still sitting in the bed. Another black-clad guy crashes through the window.)
Cordelia: One way to find out.
(She stands up and points the sword at the guy who crashed into the room. Connor and Cordelia proceed to fight off the intruders. More crash into the room through the windows and door. Cordelia is holding her own very well with the sword. One of the intruders puts a camera on the wall so Lilah can watch remotely from her handheld device.)
Connor: Cordelia!
(They continue to fight, but Connor and Cordelia both are soon overpowered. One of the intruders tries to escort Cordelia out of the room, but Angel kicks down the door. He's come to the rescue with Gunn and Fred. Angel takes Cordelia in his arms.)
Angel: (softly to Cordelia) Hey...
(Angel and Gunn fight off the intruders. Lilah watches from her remote device.)
Lilah: Well, aren't you the stud?
Carlo: Miss Morton. It's done.
Lilah: Hmm. Music to my ears, Carlo. I'm going home. Tell the boys it's fourth-and-ten.
Carlo: All units: punt. I repeat: punt.
(The intruders stop fighting and leave the room immediately.)
Gunn: That's right, monkey boys. Don't mess with the big dog! (to Angel and Fred) It's better than sidekick.
Angel: (to Cordelia) Did they hurt you? Are you OK?
Cordelia: Yeah, I'm OK.
Connor: I didn't expect so many.
Angel: You tried. I appreciate it. And I really like what you've, um, done with the...nice. (to Cordelia) We should probably get you back home.
Cordelia: Actually, I'd like to stay here. With Connor. (walks to Connor's side)
Angel: I don't think that's the best idea. Connor's a great fighter. I helped train him. But you need more than just muscle right now.
Cordelia: You're right. I need someone who won't lie to me... like you did. All of you, I know you were trying to help, but the truth is the only way to do that, and that's what Connor's given to me.
(Angel, Fred and Gunn walk out the door. Angel turns back.)
Angel: (to Connor) Keep her safe. (walks out)
(Wesley’s Apartment)
(Wesley is alone in his apartment bedroom, pacing and drinking. He walks to the side of the bed Lilah slept on and sits down. He looks down and notices the dollar bill he signed was left on the floor. He picks it up and has a realization he's not happy about.)
(Hyperion – Angel Investigations)
(Angel, Fred and Gunn walk into the hotel lobby. Angel seems sad.)
Fred: If it makes you feel better, I would have chosen you.
Angel: Thanks. But no, it doesn't.
Gunn: Hey, just remember, man, that's not really Cordy— well, not all of her.
Angel: Maybe she's right. Maybe we should've spilled everything from the start, you know? Played it all card-up.
Gunn: You mean demons and monsters and vamps card-up? Wouldn't've worked.
Fred: She's confused is all. Give her time. She'll see the truth: who the real champion is.
Gunn: Damn straight! If Team Angel hadn't shown up with a little clobbering time, Wolfram and Hart would've nabbed her and probably…
(Angel heard something from the other room. He stands, and directs Fred and Gunn to back him up. They bust into the office only to find Lorne tied up in a chair, bound and gagged, with a large bleeding hold in his head. He's passed out.)
Fred: (goes to Lorne) Oh, my God!
Angel: Lorne? (Angel and Gunn start to untie him)
Fred: Is he alive?
Angel: What happened? Who did this?
Lorne: (too weak to speak) W...
Gunn: Wesley? Not again. (Lorne shakes his head "no")
Angel: Wolfram and Hart. (Lorne nods his head "yes")
Gunn: OK, but-but why? I thought Cordy was their target.
Angel: They must've known Lorne read her.
Gunn: OK wait, so are you saying that the slam dance at Connor's place was a decoy?
Angel: And we fell for it like a bunch of rookies. They weren't after Cordy, they were after what Lorne saw when she sang.
Fred: (dabs his wound with a cloth) They sucked it out of his head?
Lorne: Mm-hmm.
Angel: How much? What'd they get?
Lorne: They had—they had a demon. I-I wouldn't talk. And the thing burrowed... inside. And took Cordy out.
Angel: Lorne, how much did they get?
Lorne: All of it.
Fred: They tricked us.
Gunn: Wolfram and Hart or Wesley? He's the one who showed up with the hot tip about Junior. How do we know he's not the one playing us?
Angel: We don't. But what we do know is that Wolfram and Hart may now know more about Cordy's doom and gloom thing than we do. And that's a problem.
(Lilah’s Apartment)
(There's a knock on the door. Lilah looks to see who it is, then opens the door. It's Wesley.)
Lilah: Ooh. A drop-by. That's a surprise.
Wesley: Is it?
Lilah: Well, that it took you so long, yeah.
Wesley: (walks inside) You played me.
Lilah: You played yourself.
Wesley: On the phone, you wanted me to hear that so I would tell Angel.
Lilah: Free will. Look it up.
Wesley: Lilah...
Lilah: I was just doing my job. You're the one who decided to take what you overheard and give it to the good-n-plentys. So before you go all righteous fury, figure out who you're really mad at here.
Wesley: (sighs) What was the real plan?
Lilah: Let's just say, I could've had Lorne's brain in a jar, but I left it in his head 'cause he's a friend of yours.
Wesley: What's that supposed to do? Lull me into trusting you again?
Lilah: If I'd thought you'd ever trust me, I would've never played you like that.
Wesley: It's never simple, is it?
(Natural History Museum – Attic)
(Cordelia is sleeping in the bed. Pan up to show Connor sitting in the window leaning his head against the wall.)
(Hyperion – Angel’s Bedroom)
(Angel is standing in the French patio doors. His room is empty, as is his bed. Angel leans his head against the wall, mirroring Connor's pose in the previous scene.)
Season Four Guide