Offspring

Previously on Angel:

Wes: "The host reads their souls, senses their futures."

Cordy: "Yes, but he can only do it when they sing Karaoke."

Cordy: "Imagine what could have happened if you'd gone nuts and slept with Darla!"

Angel throws Darla through the glass doors.

Angel and Darla on the bed kissing and ripping each others clothes off

Angel: "You know I would never do that."

Angel wakes beside Darla and jerks upright in bed.

Angel: "Get dressed and get out, because the next time I see you I will have to kill you."

Shaman: "I can not help you. No one can. This is not meant to be known."

Darla rubbing her pregnant belly: "Well, I guess there's only one thing left to do. Time to go visit daddy."

Rome 1771

Some rats scurry along an underground sewer tunnel. Angelus runs by. He looks behind him and sees a group of monks carrying torches coming his way. Turns a corner, only to see other torch carrying groups of monks down a couple other branches.

Angelus comes up on a sewer grate. He pulls the center grating loose, steps through, then wedges it back in place behind him.

As he turns, he stumbles, tumbles down the slanting tunnel, crashes through another grate and lands on the floor of some underground chamber lit by torches. He is surrounded by monks with crossbows aimed at him.

A pair of double doors swing open behind him, letting in bright sunlight. Angelus throws himself to the ground out of the direct light surrounded by a thin cloud of smoke.

A rider brings his horse to a stop just inside the doors and dismounts. One of the monks leads the horse away as the rider makes his way over to a red robbed priest, while Angelus is picks himself up from the floor.

Holtz: "Mille grazie, Monsignore. Sono nel vostro debito."

Subtitles: "Thank you, Monsignor. I am in your debt."

Monsignor (st): "No, this animal murdered your family. (Points at Angelus) Hold the beast!"

Chains wrap around Angelus upper arms and chest.

Holtz steps closer to Angelus: "Monsignor Rivalli, performed the ceremony when Caroline and I were wed. You remember Caroline?"

Angelus: "Pretty lass. Hearty screamer."

Holtz: "The good monsignor has since then been excommunicated. The order he founded, Inquisitore, adheres to the old beliefs. They're traditionalists and quite good at their work. Let's get started, shall we?"

Holtz takes a sharp hook and some knives from one of the monks. We see the hook digging into the side of Angelus' neck, hear some cloth ripping.

Angelus: "Ah. Aah!"

We see the sun rise and set while hearing Angelus' screams in the background.

The monsignor is walking cross the room, reading a book. Holtz is sitting on a bench, drinking from a cup. We hear some monks recite in the background and Angelus gasping in pain.

Holtz: "You lost me in North Africa. I knew you'd come back to Europe, but *Rome* Angelus? (Gets up and walks around Angelus, suspended from the ceiling by chains around his wrists) Why in Gods name would you come to the seat of all that's holy?"

Angelus: "Darla - she loves the Sistine chapel."

Holtz: "Michelangelo?"

Angelus: "Not him. She's mad about Botticelli's frescos. (Groans) The Temptation of Christ is her favorite - probably because of the leper. (Sighs) What do you want, Holtz?"

Holtz picks up a three-pronged claw and looks at it.

Holtz: "I don't want anything. My family is gone. I don't trust you to give me Darla, although I *will* find her, you know that. My only desire here - is to discover if a thing such as yourself can be made to pay for its sins. (Holtz digs the claw-thingy in somewhere below Angelus waist (off screen) and Angelus groans in pain) You're a demon. It is your nature to maim and kill. But you were also once a man. If we beat and burn the demon out of your living flesh, will there be anything left? (Holtz digs the claw in again and Angelus groans in pain) Anything at all? I doubt it. But I'm willing to spend the next fortnight of my life finding out. - In either event - you have no soul, you can not be saved."

A flaming arrow streaks across the room and buries itself in one of the monks.

Darla: "Sorry it took me so long darling."

Darla is standing in a tunnel opening, holding a crossbow loaded with another flaming arrow. There are other vampires with her.

Darla: "Kill them."

Darla fires her flaming bolt, hitting Holtz in the shoulder. The vampires streak past her and attack the monks. Several vampires get staked by the monks during the fight, but that doesn't slow the rest of them down.

Monsignor confronts Darla with a cross held in front of him.

Monsignor: "Vai' all inferno, demonio lordo! (caption) Go to hell foul demon!"

Darla pushes the cross aside, then sends the Monsignor flying into a wall.

Darla: "No, grazie, padre."

The double doors that Holtz rode in through is pulled down and a horse and carriage driven by a blanket shrouded vampire trot in.

Darla unclips Angelus chains. Two other vampires catch him under the arms and drop him onto the back of the cart. Holtz tries to get up. Darla knocks him across the chin, then joins a groaning Angelus on the cart.

Angelus: "Darlin'?"

Darla: "What?"

Angelus: "Shouldn't we be killing Holtz?"

Darla: "I know, but it's just so much fun ruining his life. He's like family now."

Angelus pulls Darla into a kiss as a vampire covers them with a tarp. The wagon heads out into the sunlight, with the blanket shrouded vamp at the reins.

A public bus (Downtown LA - Hollywood) pulls over to the side of a dark and deserted street in LA.

Darla: "Right here is fine. (To bus driver) Thanks for the lift. That didn't take long at all. (Gets off the bus) And they say there is no public transportation in LA."

The bus driver turns slowly and looks towards the back of the bus. Three passengers are slumped in their seats with twin puncture wounds visible on their necks. Four other people are huddled down in the back of the bus.

Bus driver fumbles out his radio: "Help! We got a code twelve on the 5-8 line! We need help here now, for god's sake. Now!"

Darla walks away across the street.

Intro

Cordy is arranging some flowers in a vase down in the basement of the Hyperion. Angel walks into the training area and sees that there are several vases of them scattered around the room.

Angel: "What's this?"

Cordy: "Oh, it's just so dark and lifeless down here, I thought I'd brighten it up a little for you. (Angel picks up one of the vases) You can't exactly go out and enjoy the sunny fields of nature, but that doesn't mean we can't bring a little bloom into your darkness."

Angel: "They're fake."

Cordy: "Yeah. You put something real in this hellhole and it die (snaps her fingers) like that."

Angel puts the flowers down, looking at Cordy.

Cordy: "Thank you, Cordelia?"

Angel: "You know, I've been around a long time..."

Cordy: "Which reminds me. Next birthday, you think we could skip the two-hundred and fifty odd candles on the cake and the inevitable fire marshal and just go and just go with a little song?"

Angel: "And I've never known anyone like you."

Cordy: "Well, duh! Times a wasting, big guy. Can we do it? (Takes on a stance) Hi-yeah!"

Angel chuckling: "Okay. Last time we were working on not pulling your punches and your kicks. Right? Don't worry about me. (Cordy hits him and he deflects the punch with his arm) That's good. (Cordy swipes at him again) Good! Where is your weight? (Angel looks down) Balls of your feet?"

Cordy swings and hits him across the face full force.

Cordy: "Oops! Oh god, you said that... (Angel straightens back up, smiling) Are you okay?"

Angel: "I'm a vampire. You can't hurt me. Good."

Angel turns away from her and makes a face, gingerly feeling his nose.

Cordy: "You're off your game. It's because of the prophecy Wes and Gunn are trying to get their hands on. You think the end is coming."

Angel turns back to face her: "The end is not coming. Someone is always uncovering some ancient scroll, and they're always saying the same thing: that something terrible is coming. Do you know how many of these things I've seen in my very long life?"

Cordy: "Four?"

Angel: "Three. But there's nothing to worry about."

Cordy: "Then way are Gunn and Wesley breaking and entering right now?"

Angel: "Breaking and entering is such a negative term. They are simply retrieving some missing pieces from the Nyazian Scroll. Just to make sure..."

Cordy: "That the end is coming. - Well, all we can do is live each moment to the fullest and be grateful that we didn't throw too much money at the NASDAQ."

Angel blinking his eyes and lifting a hand towards his face: "Am I swelling?"

Camera sweeps over some big houses, surrounded by big gardens on a sunny plateau with some mountains in the background. Pans past some old oil paintings and statuary to show Wes, dressed in black, sneaking up on the window and look into the window from outside. Wes motions and Gunn walks up beside him.

Wes: "Step one: Dobermans are happily gnawing on the steak. Alarm and vid lines are disabled (pulls out a scanner and looks at its display) no infrared. Caught a break there. Step two: we cut a hole in the glass, snake in the mini-cam and scan the interior."

Gunn walks over to look in the glass door while Wes pulls glasscutter with a suction cup out of his duffel bag and attaches it to the window.

Wes: "If it's all clear, we disable the locks and bolts on the side door thus completing... (Gunn tries the door and it swings open) ...step three."

Wes closes up his duffel and moves over to follow Gunn inside, then hurries back to detach the suction cup from the window and stow it in his bag while Gunn waits for him inside.

Wes hurries in and motions for Gunn to close the patio door.

They open the doors into an adjacent room, in which all sorts of things are on display.

Gunn looks around and whistles.

Wes: "Can you believe this?"

Gunn looking around: "Some guys collect old cars, some guys collect..."

Gunn flinches back as he spots a misshapen, one-eyed demon head in a glass case. Then he and Wes lean in for a closer look.

Gunn: "It's like - the eye follows you wherever you go."

Wes walks over to a bottle sitting on a pedestal, pulls out the stopper and takes a sniff before closing it again.

Wes: "Alright. If you were the priceless remnants of the lost Nyazian Scroll, where would you be?"

Gunn: "If I was priceless - I'd be in the vault."

Wes: "The vault? Your snitch never said anything about a vault!"

Gunn: "I got a bad feeling about this."

Wes: "We figure something out. It's just a - vault."

Gunn: "Actually my bad feeling is more about the man standing behind you with the large revolver."

Wes turns to see a guy standing in the door aiming a gun at them.

Man: "Move and I'll kill you.

The man edges into the room and reaches for the telephone with one hand while still aiming the gun at them with the other.

Wes: "I hope you're calling the police."

Man: "You bet I am."

Wes: "Good. You can explain to them why you keep so much GHB on hand. (Wes walks over to the bottle on the pedestal) You know, Rohypnol, the date rape drug."

Man: "What?"

Wes indicates the bottle: "Muslok Trancing Amalgam. Under the microscope it's virtually indistinguishable from GHB."

The man slowly puts the receiver back down.

Man: "Alright. I won't call the police."

Wes: "I'm glad we understand each other."

Man: "Until after I kill you."

Wes: "Oh."

Gunn picks up four red glass balls out of a bowl on another stand.

Gunn: "Hey, these worth a lot?"

Man: "Yes. They're Cyopian conjuring spheres."

Gunn: "How much? Four figures each? Five? (Starts to juggle two of the balls with one hand) More?"

Man: "Stop that!"

Gunn: "Put the weapon down."

When the man hesitates, Gunn lets one of the balls drop and it shatters with a liquid splash as it hits the floor.

Gunn: "Kind of delicate. (Juggles the remaining three with both hands) Look, we're not thieves, we're investigators. Now, we need to look at your Nyazian Scrolls. Put the weapon down, because - I'm getting kind of tired here."

Man: "Alright!"

Man puts the revolver down on a glass case and Wes retrieves it.

Gunn drops another ball (the owner lets out a fearful gasp) only to bounce it off his foot and catch it again.

Gunn: "I always wanna give them a big finish.

Fred comes down the basement stairs of the Hyperion.

Cordy: "Ow. That doesn't feel right."

Angel: "Just relax. You have to bend."

Cordy: "I don't bend there. - Okay. Now that's downright unnatural."

Angel: "I know it feels strange, but if an attacker comes at you from behind, you wanna be able to shift all your weight immediately to your other foot so you can spin and kick. Here, you try it."

Cordy spins and kicks up against Angel's chest. Angel catches her, one arm around her leg another around her waist to keep her from falling.

Angel: "Whoa! Easy. Alright. That's alright. (Lowers her leg and lets go of her) That's better. We'll keep - working on it. Okay. That's probably enough for today."

Cordy: "Yeah, well, we could do more of it, but then I'd have to ice every bone in my body. See you."

Cordy walks towards the stairs, one hand pressed against the small of her back.

Cordy: "Hey, Fred."

Fred: "Hey! - Kye-rumption."

Cordy walking up the stairs: "Well - back at you."

Angel: "What did you say?"

Fred: "Kye-rumption. It's the one nice word I remember from the Pylean hell dimension."

Angel: "What's it mean?"

Fred: "It's when two great heroes meet on the field of battle and recognize their mutual fate. It's also a kind of grog made out of the ox dung but that's archaic."

Angel: "Oh, ah, that's interesting."

Fred: "When I see you and Cordelia sparring Kye-rumption always comes to mind."

Angel after a beat: "Me and Cordelia."

Fred: "I know. She's such a hero, with the visions and the courage. It's only natural that you and she would be drawn to one another. - Oh! Plastic flowers! (Hurries over to one of the vases) My favorite! They never fade, you know."

Angel: "Oh, whoa, wait a minute. There's nothing going on between me and Cordelia."

Fred: "Nothing but Moira."

Angel: "Who's Moira?"

Fred: "Moira is the gut physical attraction between two larger than life souls."

Angel: "Ha. No, there is no attraction. Cordelia is a friend. Someone I work with. That's all."

Fred grinning: "See? You're being chivalrous. Because you 're a hero, just like her. You got Kye-rumption!"

Angel: "Stop using that word!"

Wes: "What's going on down here?"

Angel: "Nothing."

Wes: "I believe Fred's been through enough recently without people shouting at her."

Fred: "He didn't mean anything by it."

Wes just stands there, looking at the floor.

Angel: "Is there something you wanted?"

Wes: "Yes. (Looks at Fred) Gunn and I were hoping you could give us a hand with the Nyazian Prohecies. We need someone who can do the math."

Fred: "Sure!"

Fred starts up the stairs.

Wes looks around: "Who gave you all the flowers?"

Angel: "Nobody."

Gunn is throwing darts at a board in the office at the Hyperion. Wes is sitting at the desk, writing. Fred is sitting beside him, working on the laptop. Cordy is at her own desk.

Gunn: "So, how are you doing there, Fred?"

Fred: "Oh, it's a simple equation, really. The ancient Roman calendar has fourteen hundred and sixty-four days in a four-year cycle. The Etruscan, Sumerian, and Druidian each have their own cycles. You work forward from the presumed day of the prophecy under each calendar, factoring in our own three hundred and sixty-five day calendar and accounting for a three day discrepancy for every four years and..."

Angel walks into the lobby, he sees Cordy sitting at her desk and stops before anyone notices he's there.

Fred: "Oh. - That can't be right. - Unless the world ended last March."

Gunn: "So, are we talking Armageddon - or bad house number? (Sits down in the chair in front of Wes desk) Is it a bad event - or a bad guy?"

Wes: "It's not clear on that. It predicts the arrival or arising of the Tro-clan, the person or being that brings about the ruination of mankind."

Gunn: "So it's a two for one. Isn't that nice."

Wes: "And I'm not sure on the translation. Ruination may in fact mean purification."

Gunn: "Purification? So this Tro-clan is a good thing?"

Wes: "I doubt that. But it's purification in Aramaic, ruination in ancient Greek and in the lost Ga-shundi language it means both."

Cordy: "And you don't want to make the same mistake twice."

Cordy looks up from her desk at Wes, who looks down at his papers.

Wes: "No."

Fred: "What mistake?"

Wes: "There was another prophecy a while back. It seemed to be about Angel and contained the word 'Shanshu' which I thought meant to die and I - sort of told Angel..."

Cordy: "...that we was going to die."

Fred: "Oh, no."

Wes: "Then I found out it also meant to live. It meant to die and to live."

Fred: "So - which is it?"

Wes: "Both. In his case it meant that some day the vampire in him might die, but the human in him might live."

Angel is standing at a corner in the lobby, listening.

Fred: "That he would be like a normal man?"

Angel slowly lifts his head and looks at Cordy working at her desk.

Wes: "Yes."

Fred: "Wow. What would we do if that happened?"

Cordy: "I'd buy him some plaid shirts and take him to the beach. The boy needs some color."

Fred goes back to typing on the laptop.

Fred: "There. That came out better. - Oh. No it didn't. It's still very preliminary, but - if these calculations are correct, this bad thing should already be here. (Looks around) Well, I-I guess not right here, but - here in LA."

Angel walks into the reception area and sits down.

Fred: "Let me run these numbers again."

Cordy: "Hey."

Angel: "Hey."

Cordy after a while: "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Angel: "Ah, no reason."

After a moment Cordy gets up and walks past Angel to pour a cup of coffee.

Cordy: "Okay. It's getting creepy now."

Angel: "I was just thinking about things. - People. You know. How they relate. Take you and me for instance. We're very different. *Very* different. Obviously (points at Cordy) human (points at himself) vampire. (points a Cordy) Woman (points at himself) man...pire."

Cordy: "Has someone been putting vodka in your blood?"

Angel laughs: "See? You're funny! And I, well I get off a good one every once in a while, but you..."

Cordy, sipping her coffee: "Angel, are you trying to say you love me?"

Angel: "What?"

Cordy: "I love you too."

Angel: "You do? When did this..."

Cordy yells towards Wes open office door: "Angel loves me. I love him."

Angel: "Oh, my god!"

Cordy: "You guys love us and we love you."

Fred, Wes and Gunn chorus: "We love you Angel."

Cordy: "They were all saying it earlier. Just in case this prophecy comes true and we all die. - You're not gonna wanna hug, are you?"

Angel clears his throat and sits back shaking his head: "No."

Cordy goes back to her desk: "God knows we've been through a lot together."

Angel: "That's really all I was trying to say, that we've been through so much together, you and me, as *friends.* You've seen the - good, - and the not so good."

Cordy: "Just like you have in me. And for the record: the good I've seen far outweighs the bad."

Angel after a beat: "Thanks. You, too."

Cordy: "Hey, what are friends for?"

Darla: "If you ask me, they're for knocking you up and leaving you high and dry."

Angel spins around to see a very pregnant Darla standing on the top landing leading down into the lobby from outside.

Darla: "Hello, lover. Long time no see."

Break

Angel: "Darla."

Cordy: "Darla?"

Wes: "Darla!"

Fred: "Who's Darla?"

Gunn: "Angel's old flame from way back."

Fred: "Not the one that died?"

Gunn: "Yeah. No, not that one. The other one that died and came back to life. She's a vampire."

Fred: "Y'all have a chart or something?"

Gunn: "In the files. I'll get it for you later."

Angel: "Well, when did this happen?"

Darla comes down the steps: "You know *exactly* when it happened."

Cordy: "Angel - did - you and Darla...?"

Angel: "Uh..."

Cordy turns to look at him.

Angel: "This is impossible."

Darla: "Tell me about it - daddy!"

Cordy: "You slept with her?"

Angel: "Vampires can't have children. Wesley?"

Wes: "Ah, no, he's right. It's not possible."

Cordy: "That's not what I asked."

Darla: "You know we can't. I know we can't. But - we did."

Fred: "I wonder if this might not be that bad thing we were expecting."

Darla: "What did you do to me?"

She hits Angel across the face and he stumbles back against the weapons cabinet behind him.

Cordy steps between Angel and Darla: "Stop that!"

Angel: "It's okay. It's alright. I'm okay."

Cordy: "You'll hurt her! Haven't you done enough? (Turns to Darla) Here, sit down. You should get off your feet."

Cordy leads Darla over to the round settee, then looks back at the others.

Cordy: "Can we get her some water?"

Fred turns to go get it.

Angel: "Cordy that's *Darla.* Maybe you don't want to..."

Cordy: "Did you or did you not look me in the eye and say that you would *never* do a thing like this with her?"

Darla: "Oh, he lied? What a surprise."

Fred carrying a glass of water: "Hi. I'm Fred. Is water okay, or did you want some blood?"

Darla takes the water as Wes gently pulls Fred back away from Darla.

Angel: "Cordy. I'm sorry - I lied. It was just - it was a very dark time."

Cordy: "Oh! You used her to make *you* feel better during *your* dark time. Well, that makes it *all* heroic."

Angel: "It wasn't like that. It just - happened. It wasn't like I went *evil* or anything, I just..."

Cordy: "You just went male. (brushes the hair out of Darla's face) Have you been to a doctor."

Darla gives her a look: "No. But I have been to every shaman and seer in the Western Hemisphere."

Wes: "And what did they say?"

Darla: "They don't know what it is. They don't know what it means. Nothing like this has ever happened."

Angel: "Maybe it's an hysterical pregnancy."

Darla: "You wanna feel it kick?"

Cordy: "Does it kick a lot?"

Darla: "Like crazy."

Angel: "well, now wouldn't that be the first sign of... (Cordy gives him a look) ...hysteria?"

Cordy: "What can we do for you?"

Darla: "Well, you can get you little gang of supernatural detectives to find out what the hell is happening to me and how to stop it."

Cordy looking at Darla: "Are you gonna take some responsibility here? (Looks up at Angel) Angel?"

Angel: "Oh, me? - Of course I am. - Wes, lets get on this right now."

Wes: "What do you suggest?"

Angel: "I suggest you use your books and find out what's going on. What, do I have to think of everything?"

Wes picks up a book from the counter and opens it.

Wes: "Oh, here it is."

Darla straightens up in her seat and Angel walks over to Wes.

Wes: "It says 'I have absolutely no idea what's going on.' (Closes the book) We should talk to the host."

Lorne: "Oh, this is all wrong."

The camera pulls back and we see that he is looking at two people holding up a modern painting.

Lorne: "Try it on the back wall. Far away from where folks might be eating."

Muses: "Violence abounds, violence restrain, this space a sanctuary was and shall be again."

Lorne: "That's great girls. - Hey, Arnie, why 're you charging me twelve hundred over the estimate here?"

Arnie: "Had to run a separate two twelve to the security box. Double insulation everywhere in the building. Plus, we had a run on Kek bile and Bin-der glands. And you know what you said: 'This club's my baby. I want top drawer through out."

Angel: "Lorne! You here? - You got to help me. We got (looks back at the others filing in behind him) kind of a situation on our hands."

Muses: "Mmm, Angel."

Cordy: "And here we have three more of Angel's chippies. You girls are on the pill I hope."

Muses: "Mmm."

Angel smiles and waves at them then walks over to lean in close to Lorne.

Angel: "What are they doing here?"

Lorne: "They're here to help recast the sanctuary spell to prevent violence in the club. And this time I'm covering demons *and* humans. I'm opening the club again. I know I was blue for a pretty long time. If it'd gone on much longer I would have turned aquamarine. (Lorne is the only one laughing) And now that the ice is broken (turns to Darla) what happened here?"

Darla: "What's it look like?"

Cordy: "Angel boned her."

Angel: "Just once. Just the one night. Ah, just the two or three one times that one night..."

Fred: "Is Angel gonna sing?"

Gunn: "Oh!"

Wes: "I suppose he has to."

Cordy: "She's carrying the baby!"

Darla grabs Lorne by the lapels, pulls herself in close and starts to sing: "Oh, Danny boy.... What the hell's inside me?"

Lorne: "Oh, no, no, no. We're way past singing, mes enfants. This is a brand new day here. (To the club at large) Alright every body, that's a wrap! (People and demons start filing out) We'll finish the spell tomorrow. We got a little crisis brewing. Thanks for coming! Check's in the mail! Get the hell out."

Muses, speaking in turn: "Bye Angel, come see us soon. Mmm..."

Cordy: "Men!"

Lorne: "This is way beyond my ken - and my Barbie and *all* my action figures. If it's alive..."

Darla: "Oh, it's alive! And kicking!"

Lorne: "It could be anything. A child born to two vampires..."

Gunn: "Maybe it's some kind of 'ueber'- vamp."

Wes: "The Nyazian prophecies mention a Tro-clan."

Fred: "That's supposed to be here about now."

Lorne: "Born out of darkness to bring darkness."

Angel: "Great. So, we're saying that my child is - the scourge of mankind?"

Darla moans.

Cordy: "You guys are upsetting her! (To Lorne) I think she needs to lie down."

Lorne: "Yeah, of course. She can have my bedroom."

Lorne and Cordy help Darla up and start to lead her towards the back of the club. When Angel starts to follow Cordy stops him.

Cordy: "We can handle it."

Cordy and Lorne lead Darla into Lorne's bedroom.

Cordy: "I think we should call a doctor."

Darla: "It'll pass. I just have to - let it."

Darla lets herself drop onto the bed and Cordy sits down on the edge of it beside her.

Cordy: "I'll stay with her."

Lorne: "If you need anything, just holler."

Cordy: "Okay."

Lorne leaves the room.

Angel: "I don't accept this. These stupid prophecies, you can always interpret them a hundred ways from Sunday. How do we even know your calculations are correct?"

Fred: "I don't. I'm still working on them."

Gunn: "Well, we do know that Darla is pregnant with something!"

Angel: "That's biologically impossible."

Lorne: "And mystically unfair. You've fought long and hard for good. If your destiny is to spawn something evil..."

Angel: "I don't see how anything spawned by Darla and me could be good."

Wes: "You know the first prophecy that said that the vampire with a soul would be pivotal in the battle between good and evil?"

Gunn: "That Shanshu one?"

Wes: "Maybe it's not you. Maybe your child is a pivotal figure. Maybe your destiny is simply to help bring to the world."

Angel after a beat: "Or to stop it."

Fred: "Can I say something about destiny?- Screw destiny! If this evil thing comes we'll fight it, and we'll keep fighting it until we whoop it. 'cause destiny is just another word for inevitable and nothing's inevitable as long as you stand up, look it in the eye, and say 'your evitable!' - Well, you- you catch my drift."

Lorne: "Wow. I like her so much!"

Angel: "I wanna see these prophecies myself, and your calculations, Fred, and anything else we got on this."

Fred: "Why don't I go back to the hotel and get everything?"

Wes: "Good idea. We put our heads together and figure out a way to fight this thing."

Fred leaves and Angel turns to Lorne.

Angel: "How's she doing?"

Lorne: "Well, she's weary. The poor thing looks like she's about eighteen months pregnant. Hope they're not twins."

Angel: "Not her. Cordelia."

Lorne: "Oh, ah, I sense that she's - hurt and *pissed* what with the lying and deception and ecetera. You should probably stay out of her way for a while, huh?"

Cordy: "How're you feeling?"

Darla: "Just crazy."

Cordy: "What?"

Darla: "Why would anyone bring something into this world?"

Cordy: "I was pregnant once. (Laughs and holds out a hand) I was out to here - overnight! Mystical thing. I didn't go to term, but while it lasted, hooh! Talk about uncomfortable! Your back and legs hurt all the time and first you're sick to your stomach and you can't eat anything and then your ravenous! Are you able to eat or do you just..."

Darla levers herself up: "What? Drink?"

Cordy: "Well, it's - really none of my business, is it? - You should rest (Cordy gets up) and I should (starts to walk towards the door) I'll just be real close by. If there is anything that you need... (Darla morphs into vampface) Anything at all..."

Cordy is about to open the door, but Darla is suddenly there, holding the door shut.

Darla: "I'm hungry all the time. It's weird."

Cordy: "Sure. You're eating for two now. It's only natural."

Darla: "No, what's weird is - no matter how much I feed - I can't seem to get full."

Cordy punches Darla hard across the face. Follows it up with a second punch, then pulls out a cross to ward Darla off.

Cordy: "Pregnant or not, you're *going* to keep your distance."

Darla bats the cross aside, grabs Cordy and throws her across the room against a table. Then she clamps a hand over Cordy's mouth to prevent her from screaming and sinks her teeth into the side of Cordy's neck.

Break

As Darla bites her, Cordy gets hit by a vision. Darla backs away from her for a moment while we see flashes of some arcade, then lunges back in - only to get pulled back away by Angel.

Angel: "Get away from her!"

Angel picks Cordy up and carries over to the bed.

Angel: "You're gonna be alright. You're gonna be alright."

Cordy holding the side of her neck: "Ouch!"

Angel presses a cloth over the neck wound.

Angel: "Cordy, you're gonna be all right. I'll kill her for this."

Cordy panting: "You're gonna have to find her first."

Angel looks around. Darla is gone.

Out in the club the others are just picking themselves back up, when Angel comes out, carrying Cordy in his arms.

Angel: "She bit Cordy."

Lorne: "Oh, sweetie, are you alright?"

Angel: "No. Where is she?"

Wes: "She got away."

Gunn: "We tried to stop her by hitting her fists and feet with our faces, but..."

Angel: "We'll take Cordy to a safe place and we'll take care of Darla."

Hyperion, night, Cordy is lying on a bed with Angel sitting beside her.

Angel: "Are you feeling any better?"

Cordy: "Yeah. You don't have to stay with me."

Angel: "Gunn's gonna be right here."

Cordy lifts her head to look at Gunn: "Thanks."

Angel: "I'm not gonna keep telling you how sorry I am. I'm gonna tell you - that she'll never do it again."

Cordy: "It was my fault, Angel. I felt sorry for her. She looked so helpless - like a mother. - I forgot what she really was. - I'm starting to feel the pills."

Angel gets up and backs away from the bed as Cordy's eyes drift closed.

Angel quietly to Gunn: "You see Darla anywhere in range..."

Gunn: "I'll take care of it."

Angel turns to go.

Cordy sits up: "Wait! - When she bit me I had a vision. I almost forgot."

Angel comes back and sits back down on the edge of the bed.

Angel: "What did you see?"

Cordy: "It was like no vision I ever had before. - She's so hungry. - She doesn't know how to make the hunger stop. - I think I know where she's headed."

Angel is arming himself from the weapons cabinet.

Wes: "I'm not speaking to you as the boss, because I know you wouldn't listen, but you shouldn't do this alone."

Angel: "I *have* to do this alone."

Wes: "Angel, a normal vampire is strong, and Darla wasn't normal before this. She took down the host, Gunn, and me without even breaking stride. She's stronger than all of us right now, including you, because of what's in her."

Angel: "I know. I put it there."

Angel turns away and hurries out.

Wes: "Why does he think he has to do everything alone?"

Fred: "I think he just can't bear to have us see him do it."

Wes: "Kill Darla? She did try to kill Cordy - and she's a vampire."

Fred: "Who is carrying his child. The one thing he can never have, even if he lives forever."

A busy arcade, there are kids and noise everywhere. A little blond boy stands in the middle of the confusion, looking around.

Boy: "Mommy? - Mommy? - Mommy?"

Darla: "What's wrong, honey? Lost your mommy? (Boy nods) Let's go find her together, hm?"

The boy nods and takes her hand. Darla turns to lead him away.

Woman: "You're a brave woman! (Darla stops and looks over her shoulder) About to have one, taking another one out to play."

Darla: "Oh. I love children. I could just - eat them up."

Darla and the woman smile at each other and go their separate ways.

Break

Cordy is sleeping on the bed, dreaming of Darla biting her and getting the vision. She jerks awake with a gasp.

Gunn comes over and sits down on the edge of the bed.

Gunn: "Hey, hey! It's alright. It's just a dream, okay? I'm right here. She can't hurt you."

Cordy: "I have to talk to Wes."

Cordy is pacing in Wes' office.

Cordy: "It was a dream, but - it was more like a vision."

Wes: "About what?"

Cordy: "About what's inside Darla. (Sits down) This Tro-clan thing - the prophecies say that it will be born - or it will arise?"

Wes: "It says both. The middle English eyrizan and the Gothic urreisan, both mean to appear, to spring up."

Fred: "Angel's not answering his phone. Should I leave a message on his voice mail?"

Cordy: "He doesn't know how to use his voice mail. Just try his pager."

Wes: "There is also a reference to the Tro-clan being boren, which is pretty plain middle English for being born, to bear."

We hear a pager go off. Gunn checks his belt, then gets up and walks over and pulls Angel's pager out of the pocket of the coat hanging in the corner of Wes' office.

Gunn: "Well, we found Angel's beeper."

Wes: "What is it, Cordy? What is the vision trying to tell you?"

Cordy: "I think they're trying to tell me *why* Darla is craving younger victims."

Darla is crouched in front of the little boy in a deserted corner of the arcade.

Boy: "Ma'am, I don't think my mom is back here."

Darla: "Are you sure? Did you look?"

The boy looks around.

Boy: "I don't see anybody."

He turns back to see that Darla has morphed and lets out a scream. Angel runs across some of the arcade games and tackles Darla against the wall and slams the stake in his hand towards her heart. Darla puts up a hand to ward it off the stake pierces her hand until it comes out on the other side.

The boy runs away screaming, straight into his mother's arms out in the crowd.

Mother: "There you are! (Catches him up in her arms and hugs him close) Where have you been? How many times have I told you not to wander off!"

Darla tosses Angel out from the deserted section. The mother's eyes widen as Angel lands on top of some tables, over turning them. People in the crowd see Darla follow him out, still wearing her vampface and turn to run away, screaming.

Darla pulls the stake out of her right palm and lets it drop as she walks towards Angel.

Darla: "You *so* want to play the good guy, don't you? Yeah. You're the good guy who did *this* to me."

Hauls back and knocks Angel across the face, slamming him against one of the games.

Darla: "You may have the face, but you don't know the hunger! It pounds! You can't make it go away! You can't stop it!"

Angel: "I'll stop it!"

He hauls back and hits Darla. The two of them fight. In the end Angel manages to grab Darla by the throat and push her up against the wall.

Darla: "How could you put this in me? I *hate* you!"

Darla hits him again, but Angel refuses to let go of her throat.

Darla: "They breathe. They breathe and pound. I don't breathe, you idiot! You can't strangle me!"

Darla laughs.

Angel: "I'm not gonna strangle you."

Angel pulls her away and slams her back up against the wall, pulling out another stake.

Darla: "Come on! Do it! (Angel hesitates) Do it!"

Angel slowly lowers the stake and looks down at Darla's belly. We hear a heartbeat. Angel slowly steps back from Darla. Darla lunges, grabs a hold of Angel's jacket and shakes him.

Darla: "Do it! Do it! Make it stop!"

Angel gently restrains her, wrapping her tightly in his arms and pulling her up against his chest.

Angel: "No it won't, Darla. Darla, listen to me."

Darla: "Make it stop! Make it stop."

Angel: "The child. The child has a heartbeat. It has a soul."

Darla flailing wildly: "No! Not my child! No!"

Angel: "Our child. Ourchild. Our child. That's why you've been craving purer and purer blood. That's why it's been driving you out of your mind. It has a soul."

Darla collapses against Angel's chest, sobbing: "No, it doesn't."

Angel holding her: "It does."

Darla: "It can't."

Angel quietly: "Yes, it does. It does."

Angel helps Darla to lay back down on a bed in the Hyperion and hands her a mug.

Angel: "Here, drink this."

Darla takes a gulp then makes face.

Darla: "Pig's blood?"

Angel: "You need to keep yourself nourished. You'll get used..."

Darla throws the pug against the wall, shattering it and splashing the wall with blood.

Angel: "You're not alone in this anymore. We'll deal with this together."

Darla: "Gosh. I'm the luckiest vampire girl in the whole world. - Get away from me."

Angel gets up: "Try and get some sleep."

Darla: "How's Cordy? She wanna come up and visit?"

Laughs.

Angel walks up to Gunn, standing in the door holding a loaded crossbow.

Angel: "She goes near Cordy, or Fred..."

Gunn lifting the bow: "I know."

Angel: "Don't underestimate her. The woman is stronger than all of us right now."

Angel walks down into the lobby and sees Cordy and Wes leaning over an open book on the reception counter together.

Angel: "You're not to go near Darla for any reason without me, Gunn, and a lot of crossbows standing between you. You understand?"

Cordy: "Oh, yeah. And if I forget (indicates the bandage on the side of her neck) I have a nice little reminder."

Angel: "That goes for you, too, Fred."

Fred looks up from the laptop: "Gotcha."

Angel goes to sit down on the settee in the middle of the lobby and Cordy walks over to him.

Cordy: "So, I guess you're gonna be a father."

Angel after a beat: "Guess I am."

Cordy: "I felt it in my dream. The same thing you did - when you found her. (Sits down beside him) It has a soul."

Wes: "Well, Angel has a soul. It makes sense. As much as any of this does."

Angel looks down at his folded hands.

Wes: "Angel, even with a soul, she could give birth to what's spoken of in the prophecies."

Angel looks at Wes: "The thing that's coming to kill and burn us all? - I know that. - I also know the child is mine."

Wes: "Right."

Cordy: "Well! Another big fun day at Angel Investigations. (Gets up) What do you say we pour ourselves a good stiff..."

Fred: "Uh-oh."

Cordy: "A good, stiff uh-oh?"

Fred: "Remember before when I said I thought that maybe, possibly, perhaps I might have been off in my earlier calculations? And you asked Wes if he thought if the Tro-clan was prophesied to arise or be born and he said it could be both? And we all know that the Latin for arrive is arripare, to come to land or possibly in this instance simply to come to, as from a deep sleep?"

Angel, Wes: "Fred!"

Fred: "Right. I believe that whatever this thing is, it's arriving right about (looks down at a watch) three, two, now."

A busy section of LA, night, people are walking past, talking. The camera sinks through the ground down into a round chamber, lit by fires in the alcoves along the wall. The ceiling is supported by a circle of pillars.

A stone statue and two bowls holding more flames are set up, forming an equal triangle inside the circle of pillars.

A demon walks in and stops in front of the statue.

Sahjhan: "The weight of time is heavy on the world. And all men born must die. But there are worlds unknown, where dreamers dream and sleepers sleep, and patiently await. As pledged in Caladan by Cod-she, (Sahjhan steps back and throws some powder at the statue) One shall awaken in the first year of the final century. That one, who lived before and joined Cod-she in the great sleep. Arise, as was promised and foretold. Arise. - Arise!"

Nothing happens. The demon turns away and walks over to one of the fires and lights himself a cigarette. Turns back to watch the statue, puffing. Checks his watch. Takes another drag.

Suddenly the room begins to shake and blue lighting flashes. The eyes of the statue suddenly turn into two open, human looking eyes. The statue cracks then crumbles to the ground in a cloud of dust.

The demon puts out his cigarette and walks over to the figure huddled in the middle of what's left of the statue.

Sahjhan: "Welcome to the twenty first century. (Crouches down and puts a hand on the back of the figure) Angelus is here. You'll see him soon. - You haven't used your muscles in a very long time. It will be a while before you're strong enough to..."

The figure suddenly straightens up. It's Holtz.

Holtz: "Just tell me where he is."