That Old Gang of Mine

Previously on Angel:

Lilah interrogating Merl: "We heard you do favors for Angel."

Merl hanging upside down over a sewer with Angel holding on to the rope.

Merl: "That is all I know, man, I swear."

Angel dips Merl into the sewer.

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

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

Angel meets Gunn and gang for the first time.

Angel: "I wanna find those kids. I don't think any of them have homes. If their hunting vampires, then they're gonna get themselves killed."

Gunn sees George's body. Gunn slams Rondell up against the truck.

Gunn: "You should have waited for me."

Rondell: "We been waiting on you for months, bro."

Angel tosses Darla through the glass doors of his suite.

Angel and Darla kissing and going at it.

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

Close on Angel's face.

Angel: "That night still haunts me. I'm ashamed of how I treated you. (Looks down) The way I used you. (Looks back up) I took - what I needed, (looks back down) then I cast you aside and that - that was wrong of me. Was very wrong."

Angel looks back up at - Merl, sitting on a chair in Caritas.

Merl: "He's reading!"

We see that the bar is empty except for Merl and Angel sitting facing each other, Wes standing behind Angel and Gunn, Lorne and Cordy leaning against the bar behind Merl.

Angel: "I made some notes."

Merl: "I don't feel the sincerity here."

Angel: "I told you this was a waste of time."

Merl: "Real friends don't need notes."

Angel: "We're not *friends* Merl! We barely even know each other."

Merl: "Not like you made the effort either, is it?!"

Merl gets up and heads for the exit. Cordy steps in front of Merl.

Angel: "No, you know what? No, no, no. Let him go if he wants to."

Cordy to Merl: "Merl, you said you'd listen to what Angel had to say."

Wesley to Angel: "You promised you'd make an attempt."

Merl to Cordy: "You get a load of that insincere tripe he was reading?"

Angel to Wes: "I apologized..." (Can't make out the rest of Angel and Wes' talk)

Cordy to Merl: "I hardly think it's fair to blame it on the writing."

Angel to Wes: "What does he *want* from me?!"

Merl turning around: "What do I want? Huh? I tell you what I want. I want back the three months I spent in therapy after being hung upside down in a sewer. That's what *I* want."

Cordy: "Angel, read the cards."

Angel: "No. He's - he's right. He's right. Every time I went to Merl for information he came through. So, I'll tell you what, Merl. - Take a shot. (Stands in front of Merl holding his arms open) Take a shot, Merl."

Cordy, Angel, Merl and Wes all talking at once, while the Lorne is shaking his head and Gunn tries not to laugh.

Cordy: "Oh, knock it off, guys."

Angel: "Come on, take your best shot."

Wesley: "Angel, please..."

Angel: "Come on, Merl."

Merl: "You see this? He's goading. He's goading me."

Angel: "Take a shot, Merl. Come on, this one's free."

Merl: "No. No. Shameless with the goading. You see?!"

Angel: "Come on, Merl-la-la. Merl-la-la-la."

Merl: "Okay!"

Merl picks up a bottle from the bar and hauls back to hit Angel. But the bottle instead recoils from an invisible wall, throwing Merl back - into Lorne's arms, waiting to catch him.

Merl shakes his head: "Whoa! Man. You did that on purpose! You knew that was gonna happen. You tricked me! Huh?"

Angel sits back down in his chair, trying to keep a straight face.

Lorne: "Why, now, I'm sure Angel just forgot for the moment that *any* demon violence is impossible in Caritas."

Angel: "Yeah. I-I - I forgot."

Merl, gesturing dramatically: "Yeah, yeah. Whatever! Okay? 'cause I'm done listening to this bloodsucker! And the same goes for the rest of you, alright? I never want to see any of you ever again!"

Merl walks towards the exit, slows, stops and turns.

Merl: "Uh, so, who's gonna give me a ride home?"

Gunn's pickup pulls up in a dark, deserted alley and Merl gets out.

Merl: "Thanks. I hope I, ah, didn't take you, ah, (the tires of Gunn's truck squeal as he takes off) too far out of your way!"

Merl turns on the overhead light bulb in his home and looks through his mail. Looks up and his mouth forms an 'o'.

Merl: "What the... (throws up his hands and backs away) Hey, hey, hey! No, no, no. No! Noooo!"

We see Merl cringe, hear several impacts of a bladed weapon, see yellow-green liquid splatter the wall.

Intro

Fuzzed out picture of Gunn smiling at Alonna.

Alonna: "Hey, big brother."

Flash.

Alonna in vamp face.

Flash.

Gunn: "I was never gonna let anything happen to you. I was supposed to protect you. You were my sister."

Alonna: "I still am."

Alonna vamps out and slowly moves in to bite Gunn.

Gunn: "Good-bye."

Gunn stakes Alonna and watches her look at him as she turns to dust.

Gunn: "Alonna!"

Gunn jerks up into a sitting position on his bed as he suddenly wakes up.

The pager on his nightstand beeps.

Yellow gook is coating the light bulb hanging from the ceiling in Merl's home. Angel, standing in the middle of the tossed room turns as Gunn knocks on the open door.

Angel: "You made it."

Gunn: "Yeah. I called the hotel. They said you were down at Merl's. (Points at the wall) What is that?"

Angel: "That's Merl."

Gunn: "Where is the rest of him?"

Angel points at the light bulb then at a couple other places around the room.

Gunn: "Nasty. What happened?"

Angel: "I don't know. Stopped by this morning. Thought I'd give 'sincere' one more shot. Even brought donuts. This is what I found. So far, we've ruled out suicide."

Wes walks into the room carrying some papers.

Wesley: "I found some of his personal papers, an address book (looks up) Gunn. You're here. Good. Ah, you didn't notice anything odd last night when you dropped Merl off, did you?"

Gunn: "Not really."

Wesley: "Well, we'll - box these up, catalogue them when we get back to the hotel."

Gunn: "Hey, guys - what are we doing?"

Wesley: "Examining the crime scene."

Gunn: "Yeah, I see that. But what's our interest?"

Wesley: "Someone killed Merl."

Gunn: "No, right, I get *that*. Look, I didn't have a beef with Merl, all right? I'm even sorry he got dead, but come on! Is this really the kind of thing we should be spending our time on? I mean he was what he was, right?"

Angel looks up from going through Merl's stuff.

Angel: "What's that supposed to mean?"

Gunn: "Nothing. It means what it means. Somebody killed a demon. Hello! We do that every day."

Wesley: "*Merl* was harmless."

Gunn throws up his hands: "Okay."

Angel: "Sure you're not just bent because maybe we interrupted something you'd rather be doing?"

Gunn: "No."

Angel: "Okay. (Keeps sorting through Merl's clothes) Usually doesn't take you two hours to answer a page is all."

Gunn: "Excuse me, but did somebody put you back in charge? Because if they did they forgot to tell me about it."

Wesley steps between them.

Wesley: "All right. - Gunn, if this isn't something you can get behind, we'll understand. For now why don't you just go on home."

Gunn just stands there looking at Wes. Wes claps him on the arm.

Wesley: "Go home."

Gunn: "You know what? That's probably a *real* good idea."

Gunn walks out, past Angel, who is looking through Merl's rolodex.

Angel: "Little creep."

Wesley: "Angel!"

Angel: "Merl. - He's right you know. I never did bother to get to know who he was. Now I guess I'll have to."

Day. Gunn's pickup pulls up in front of a rod-iron fence with barbed wire looped through it. Gunn looks at it for a moment, then turns the engine off and gets out of his truck.

Gunn walks into a room lit by several candles. Graffiti covers most of the walls.

A Hispanic looking guy attacks Gunn with a staff, but Gunn easily matches the other's moves. He takes the staff away from the guy, trips him onto his back and holds the sharpened end of the staff against the guy's neck - only to find a loaded crossbow being held against his own neck by another guy that has come up behind him.

Gio: "This is a situation you might wanna rethink."

Gunn turns to look at the crossbow, with the point of the bolt now just inches away from his face.

Gunn: "Nice rig."

Gio: "I'm glad you like it."

Rondell: "He should. He built it. - Gio, you wanna get that thing out of my boy's face?"

Gunn drops the staff and holds out a hand to help the Hispanic up as Gio points the crossbow up at the ceiling.

Gunn: "I see you're still passing along a little something of what *I* taught you."

Rondell and Gunn hug and exchange a special handshake.

Rondell: "Word's out, brother. Vamps know better than to *even* cross Venice Boulevard these days. Crew's as tight as it's ever been - even back in your day."

Gio points at Gunn: "Charles Gunn?"

Gunn: "That's right."

Gio: "I know all about *you.* *That* name is part of the reason why I came out here."

Rondell: "Gio's from Miami."

Gunn: "Ah, coast to coast, huh?"

Gio: "Little something like that. - Hey, you might be able to help me out. Why is it - that places like LA and Miami bring out the teeth you suppose? I mean, you would think that the vamps would wanna hang in less sunny climes, you know what I'm sayin'?"

Gunn: "Yeah, I think I do."

Gio: "Well, maybe we could ask your *boss* why that is."

Rondell shakes his had: "Yo, Gio."

Gio: "You can't beat 'em, right, Chuck?"

Gunn: "It ain't even like that."

Gio: "Nuh? - Okay. If you say so. See, 'cause *I* heard - that you was like this - big time, alpha vamp killer - and now you working with one? What's up with that?"

Rondell: "Gio - who's supposed to be on point out back?"

Gio never taking his eyes off Gunn: "That be me."

Rondell: "So why aren't you back there?"

Gio sniffs at Gunn, then gives a little laugh.

Gio: "Yeah. A'right. It's cool. Y'all can have your nice little visit. (Turns to go with a laugh. To Rondell) You might wanna do that outside - in the *sunshine* - just to be on the safe side, you know?"

With a last glance back at Gunn, Gio leaves the room several of the others following him.

Angel is sitting on the counter in the Hyperion's lobby. Cordy is on the computer at the desk behind the counter.

Cordy: "Some people just need a little time alone. I wouldn't worry."

Angel: "She's *had* time alone. Five years. I think that's the problem."

Angel drops off the counter and walks over to look out at Fred, who is standing in the Hyperion's sunny garden court.

Angel: "She's been back in this world for three months and she still hasn't gone out into it."

Cordy gets up from her desk and walks into the lobby.

Cordy: "Right. And it's not like the last time she went out into it she got sucked into an interdimensional portal and ended up living like a hunted animal in a hostile demon alterna-world or anything. Oh, wait. Kinda is, isn't it?"

Angel walks behind the counter and leans on it.

Angel: "Which is why I'm asking you to, you know, talk to her."

Cordy: "I'm not so sure that's a great idea."

Angel: "You don't like her?"

Cordy: "Sure I like her. What's not to like? (Looks out at Fred) She's sweet and adorable and - seems to be laughing at something that shrub just said. (Turns back to Angel) Look, it's not that I don't like her. It's just - I don't get her."

Angel: "I'm not asking you to 'get' her. I'm just asking you to - talk to her."

Angel looks at Cordy a slow smile spreading across his face. Cordy lays the papers down on the counter.

Cordy: "Fine, we'll chat."

Angel: "Thanks."

Angel picks up the paper while Cordy walks around the counter towards the door to Wes' office.

Angel: "What's this?'

Cordy: "Enemies of Merl list."

Angel looks at it, then follows Cordy into Wes' office. Cordy is leaning the desk where Wesley is writing something.

Angel: "Hey. - Why is my *name* at the top of this list?"

Cordy: "Ah - 'a'?"

Angel: "Merl and I where not enemies."

Cordy: "Oh, okay, my mistake."

Angel: "I'm the one that found the body, remember?"

Cordy: "Oh. And *that's* not suspicious. The one time you pay Merl a social visit and he ends up - dead?"

Wesley: "I recognize quite a few of these names, actually."

Cordy: "You should. Half of them weren't 'enemies of Merl' until we made him snitch on them."

Angel: "Oh, sure. I went *dark* and I killed Merl."

Wes and Cordy look at him for a beat.

Wesley: "We'll work backwards, end with the 'a' s. How's that? (Gets up) We should start tracking these names."

Angel starts to follow Wesley out, but turns back to Cordy.

Angel: "You know, ask yourself this: if I'd killed Merl would I've - brought donuts?"

Rondell and Gunn are walking outside in the sunshine.

Gunn: "I guess that's the word on me around here nowadays, huh? Traitor? Vamp lover?"

Rondell: "Hell, don't go listening to Gio, man. He don't know you."

They walk into another shadowy building.

Gunn: "No, but you do. So what you got to say, Rondell. You think I turned my back on you all to hook up with one of them?"

Rondell: "Hell, I don't know. I haven't even seen your back in months, bro. I don't know which way it's facing."

Gunn: "That's no answer."

Rondell: "Truth? I ain't heard word one from you - not since we spread what was left of George in the river. Some of us were even starting to wonder if you were still *in* this world."

Gunn: "I didn't mean to disappear on y'all. I didn't plan it. - Guess after George..."

Rondell: "You were gone way before George. - It was Alonna, man. Things - they were never the same after Alonna."

Gunn: "Couldn't keep my own sister safe. What can I do for the rest of you?"

Rondell: "A lot, man. You done a lot. There's people alive today because of something you started."

Gunn: "No, man. Something *we* started."

Rondell with a smile: "You got that right."

They do the handshake again and Rondell catches Gunn in a hug.

Night. Wes and Angel are walking along a hallway.

Angel: "What's this one?"

Wes: "Ah, Samuel Larch, a bookie. Merl owed him quite a lot of money."

Angel: "Demon or human?"

Wesley: "I'm not sure."

Angel looks at the closed door with the number 424 on it with a sigh.

Angel: "Care to find out?"

Angel kicks in the door. Wesley watches Angel walk across the threshold and pulls out a dagger before following Angel in.

Wesley: "Demon then."

They look around the room. It is destroyed with yellow slime splashed on the walls and broken furnishings.

Angel: "I think when we find whatever is doing this - we're gonna need Gunn."

Wesley: "I agree. From the looks of this, whatever we're up against is - quite big. Extremely powerful..."

Angel: "...and really pissed off."

A big hulking monster is slowly lumbering along a sewer tunnel, emitting loud slurping noises. It is caught in a beam of light and turns around. It stops sucking on a large soda through a straw to look at the camera with a 'deer in the headlights' expression.

Monster: "Hello? - Who's there, please?"

A group of armed guys carrying flashlights come charging down the tunnel, easily catching up to the slow-moving demon. They corner him against a grate and begin to hack at it. We get a close up of Gio aiming his crossbow.

Guy: "Smoke him Gio!"

Break

Wesley is looking over Larch's apartment for clues. He finds the broken off head of a crossbow bolt which looks exactly like the one Gio had loaded when he was threatening to shoot Gunn earlier.

Gunn appears in the doorway of the apartment as Wesley is taking a closer look at the bolt.

Wesley: "Gunn."

Gunn: "Hey. Got your page. Where's Angel?"

Wesley: "He's checking on something else. Come in. The victim's name was Samuel Larch. We found him last night."

Gunn is examining the yellow gook splashed on the furniture.

Gunn: "The guy was a demon."

Wesley: "Yeah."

Gunn: "Wesley? - What are we doing, man? Who we're supposed to be working for, anyway? Did the Powers send us here? Did Cordy get a vision?"

Wesley: "No."

Gunn: "Then what?"

Wesley: "Charles, things aren't always so simple as - going out and slaying the big, bad ugly. There are in this world shades of gray..."

Gunn: "Yeah. And shades of green, and a kind of sickly looking yellow with pink eyes and sometimes puce with horns, too. I get it. What I don't get is *why* we're suddenly playing cleanup crew to a bunch of lowlife demons! - I mean, okay, so we - we bust our butts day and night until we find whatever it was that did Merl and this Larch guy..."

Wesley: "And six other victims we believe we've linked to it."

Gunn: "So we find this demon killing machine. What then? We gonna stop it? Or thank it?"

Wesley after a beat: "I don't know."

Gunn turns away, shaking his head: "You don't know."

Wesley adds the little plastic bag holding the arrow point to the other neatly labeled bags lying on a sofa table.

Wesley: "From everything I can determine, this victim was fully assimilated. No history of violence, no threat to anyone. Of the other six, at least two of those *would* have to be classified as irredeemably evil."

Gunn sits down on the sofa.

Gunn: "So what are you saying then?"

Wesley: "I'm saying that whatever is responsible for these attacks *isn'*t making any distinctions. It's just killing. Randomly."

Angel appears in the doorway.

Angel: "You were right. It happened again."

Wesley: "When."

Gunn sees the bag with the arrowhead and picks it up off the table.

Angel: "Last night. A Yarbnie was eviscerated in the sewer near Century City."

Wes walks over to his satchel to get something.

Gunn: "Yarbie, what's that?"

Gunn gets up from the sofa, casually pocketing the bag with the arrowhead.

Wesley, still looking through his bag: "Yarbnie. It's a - balancing entity. They tend to nest in urban areas under roadways - utterly non-violent."

Wes is making notes in a book.

Gunn: You know what? Uhm, maybe I should hit the streets. You know, see if I can shake anything lose. I mean, if you want."

Angel looks from Gunn to Wesley.

Wesley looks up at Gunn: "Yeah. That's probably a good idea."

Gunn as he passes Angel on the way out: "Hey."

Angel: "Hey."

Angel glances after Gunn then turns back to watching Wes write in his book.

Gunn is holding the bag with the arrowhead in his hand as he and Rondell are walking through the gang's home.

Rondell: "So, you wanna explain this?"

Gunn: "It was dug out of the wall of an apartment over on the Miracle Mile."

Rondell: "Yeah, so?"

Gunn: "So, I recognize it, Rondell. It's out of *my* old rig. The one Gio's been using."

Rondell: "Okay."

Gunn: "Look, I just came by here to give you a heads up, alright? I think you got a rogue on your crew. Your boy Gio's been out there killing anything that moves. Now somebody, meaning you, has got to have a sit-down with him, man. Let him know that this ain't the way we do things down here."

Rondell: "You say you dug this out of an apartment up on the Mile?"

Gunn: "Yes."

Rondell: "Tall white towers. (Gunn nods, and Rondell lets out a laugh) This is funny. Gio ain't no rogue. Yeah, he found the place, but we was all there. The whole crew."

Gunn: "You?"

Rondell: "Bro, the thing living in that apartment? It *wasn't* human. We took care of it."

Gunn: "But - did it attack anybody?"

Rondell: "No. We got away clean."

Gunn: "No, I mean before you broke in."

Rondell: "No, man, we didn't give it a chance to. - What's the matter?"

Gunn: "Nothing."

Gang member: "Yo, Rondell! Everyone's here, man."

Gunn sees them handing out machine guns.

Gunn: "What, you guys packing heat now?"

Rondell: "You can never be too careful. I got to go. Hey, you wanna come out with us tonight? (Gunn looks down at the arrow bag. Gio says he found a nest or something. Primo hunting."

Gunn: "No, man. I got something."

Rondell points his finger at Gunn as he turns to go: "Be good."

Gunn turns to go and finds Gio standing there.

Gio, smiles: "Hey. You know something? - He still thinks you're some kind of hero. - (Looks Gunn up and down) But me and you, we know better, right? (Gunn just looks at him) - Yeah. Yeah, we know better."

Gio chuckles as he walks past Gunn to follow the others. Grins at Gunn as he pulls the sliding door shut with a bang.

The evidence bags and open books are spread out on the round chair thingy in the Hyperion's lobby. Wes walks over carrying more open books.

Wesley: "I haven't the slightest idea what this might be. It doesn't fit any of the data I have available to me. (Looks at the bags) Something's missing."

Angel: "Maybe it's something that's never been recorded here before."

Cordy: "Just, please, don't tell me another portal has opened up. We have enough monsters in Los Angeles already!"

Fred walks down the stairs, her nose buried in a book.

Wesley: "No. Something's *missing*. We're missing one of the evidence bags."

Angel walks over to Cordy and keeps motioning with his head towards Fred, who is now headed out in the garden court, eyes still firmly on the open book she is carrying.

Wesley: "Seven, eight, nine, yes, here's ten - here is twelve, but - where is eleven?"

Cordy hands the papers she was holding to Angel and walks off.

Wesley: "What was eleven?"

Fred sits down on the edge of the fountain in the sun, still reading that old book. Cordy comes down the steps behind her.

Cordy: "Hi."

Fred screams and jumps up from the bench.

Fred: "Ah, oh, you-you startled me!"

Cordy: "I'm sorry."

Fred: "No. No, it's my fault. I'm sorry, okay?"

Cordy: "Yeah."

Fred walks towards the stairs: "Well, I'll get out of your way."

Cordy: "No, Fred I want you to stay! Stay."

Fred stops and peeks around a pillar back at Cordy. Cordy sits down and pats the fountain wall beside her.

Cordy: "Actually I - I was hoping we could - you know, talk?"

Fred comes over and sits down.

Fred: "Well, yeah, of course.

They sit there. Cordy takes a deep breath, clears her throat, takes another deep breath.

Fred: "Did you mean now?"

Cordy: "Yes! Yes. I'm sorry. It's just I feel a little awkward. (Takes another deep breath) Angel wants you to get out."

Fred: "Oh, I see. - Okay. (Gets up and turns to walk away) No, I understand. I only have a few things to pack. It won't take long."

Cordy: "No, Fred! That's not what I meant. Out, into the real world, you know, just for an evening or something."

Fred lets out a big breath and smiles: "Oh! (Looks at Cordy, eyes going wide) Oh? (Turns to hide her face) Oh..."

Cordy: "Well, not by yourself or anything. What if I... - What if *we* went out together?"

Fred: "Well - I suppose I would be okay if I was with you, right?"

Cordy: "Sure!"

Fred: "I mean, that'd be safe, right?"

Cordy: "Of course it would."

Fred smiling: "No one would even bother to look at me twice with you around!"

Cordy: "Exactly. - Ah. No. - Now, that's just not true! People *will* notice you!"

Fred, not smiling anymore: "They will?"

Cordy: "Yes! And you know why? - Because you'll be standing on a stage in the white-hot spotlight."

Fred staring: "I will?"

Cordy grins at her and nods.

Fred looks away: "Oh."

Night. Gunn is sitting in his parked truck, staring out the window. He lifts his hand and looks at the arrowhead. Puts it down and starts the engine.

Gunn walks into the dimly lit lobby of the Hyperion. Angel comes out of Wes' office looking through some papers.

Angel: "Hey."

Gunn: "Hey. - You the only one here?"

Angel: "Yeah."

Gunn: "You, ah, making any progress?"

Angel: "I don't know. Maybe. I... Wesley thinks these crimes have been random. I'm starting to think otherwise."

Gunn: "Oh?"

Angel: "Yeah. It's just the way it's happening. It - reminds me of - things I've seen before."

Gunn: "How so?"

Angel: "I know the pattern. The seeming randomness of it, the chaos. (Sighs) There is a larger purpose behind every move."

Gunn: "What?"

Angel: "To have fun."

Gunn just stands there.

Angel: "Something wrong?"

Gunn: "Nah. - I just need to see the boss. Know where he's at?"

Fred is sitting on the stage of Caritas singing "Crazy" by Patsy Cline.

Fred: "Crazy. I'm crazy for feeling so lonely. (Giggles and pushes the hair back from her face) I'm crazy..."

Lorne is leaning against the bar. Cordy and Wes are sitting at a table.

Cordy: "I swear to god she picked out the song herself."

Fred: "...for feeling so blue. I knew you'd love me as long as you wanted..."

Gunn walks in and sees Fred and smiles.

Fred: "...and then some day, you'd leave me for somebody new."

Gunn sees Wes and Cordy at the table and walks in the opposite direction, almost bumping into Lorne. Leans on the bar beside him, looking down. Lorne looks at him.

Gunn: "I know what your doing and don't!"

Lorne takes a sip from his drink, still looking at Gunn.

Gunn: "Stop it! Do - not! (Turns to face Lorne) Hey! Don't go reading me!"

Fred: "Worry. Why should I let myself worry?"

Lorne: "I wouldn't. But, sweetie, you're a billboard. (Gunn turns to look towards Wes' table) Yeah. He came in tonight with some questions. Looks to me like you got the answers."

Fred: "I'm crazy for thinking that my love could hold you..."

Gunn: "I really don't feel like going over there."

Lorne: "Yeah, I know. So - you wanna talk about it?"

Fred: "I'm crazy for trying, and crazy for..."

Gunn: "Do I got to sing?"

Guys with machine guns are coming down the stairs opening fire on the demon clientele. Fred gets splattered by white demon blood and falls off the stool she is sitting on. Gunn grabs Lorne and they take cover behind the bar.

Gunn: "Go. Down! Come on!"

Wes and Cordy tip their table over and crouch behind it.

Demons are being shot to pieces as bullets spray the air. One of the guys shoots up the bottles lining the wall behind the bar.

Gio walks into the center of the room, leaning the sawed off shotgun he is carrying up against his shoulder and looks around with a big grin.

Gio: "Party! Yoo-hoo!"

Break

Gunfire is ringing through the air.

Lorne: "Oh, my club!"

Wesley sees Fred stand up on the stage and runs out from behind his table. He jumps on the stage, picks Fred up and makes his way back to Cordy and the table.

Cordy: "What's happening? I thought demon violence was impossible in here."

Wesley: "Those aren't demons."

One of the gang shoots at a vampire, who promptly dusts. (Wooden bullets? Stake gun?)

Rondell: "It's time! Lets truck!"

Gio: "Woah, don't be in such a rush, man! You're always in such a hurry. You're liable to miss out on some of the more interesting things in life. - Yo! Charlie Gunn! Come on, now. I know you're in here. Where you at?"

Gunn stands up: "I'm right here."

Several guys spin around and cock their guns, pointing them at Gunn.

Rondell: "G-man. What're you doing here?"

Gio, grinning: "Come on. Tell him! Tell him how you been rolling up in here for *months* tossing back drinks with your demon buddies."

Gunn just stands there.

Rondell: "What he's saying - that ain't true."

Gio: "Why not? His best friend's a *vampire*. What you expect?"

Gunn: "Rondell, go. Just take your crew and leave."

Rondell: "No. Not until I get some answers."

Gio: "That's right. Answers. The man wants some answers."

Wesley stands up: "Yes, I think we all would."

Cordy: "Wesley!"

Gunn: "Wes, stay out of this."

Wesley: "As much as I would like to, am afraid I'm in it. We all are."

Lorne slowly stands up. Gio cocks his head at a couple of guys and they grab Lorne and hustle him out into the open.

Gunn: "Hey. Hey! That's enough!"

A gray faced demon keeps babbling: "Oh god, oh god, oh god."

Rondell is pointing his gun at Gunn standing next to Lorne in front of the bar.

Rondell: "I don't believe this."

Gunn: "He's okay, man."

Gio: "Uh, nice!"

Rondell: "He ain't okay. Look at him!"

Gunn: "You don't know what you're doing, Rondell."

Wesley: "It was them. They killed Merl and the others. (Gunn and Wes look at each other for a long moment) You knew."

Gunn: "I should have said something. I was going to. I was just... - I was trying to work it out, man. Figure how to deal."

Lorne: "So, have you worked it out yet?"

Gunn: "I'm sorry."

Rondell: "You're gonna apologize to this thing? (Lifts his gun) Move."

Gunn steps in front of Lorne.

Gio: "You might wanna."

Gunn: "You can't do that, man. I can't let you. - You lost the mission, bro."

Rondell: "What?!"

Gio aims his gun at Gunn with a big grin.

Gunn: "What you been doing, man, this ain't right. None of this is right! This is not what we're about."

Rondell still aiming his gun at Gunn: "The hell you say. I don't know what you're about, but we've been doing what we've always done! Protecting our own."

Wesley: "And is it 'protecting your own' to break into other people's homes?"

Rondell: "They ain't people. (Turns, gun now aimed at Wes) Are you?"

Cordy gets up to stand beside Wes and immediately guns are aimed at her as well.

Cordy: "Stop! - Stop it."

Wesley: "If you don't mind I'd prefer a clean kill. The last time I was merely wounded. It took months to heal. Wounded, if I recall, in an attempt to help you."

Gunn: "Look at me. Look at me! That's got nothing to do with them. This is between us. (Rondell looks back over his shoulder at Gunn) *Us*. Let 'em go, man."

Gio: "Yeah, why not? We can do that. After all - we ain't *monsters*."

Gunn throws his keys at Wes' feet: "Take my truck. The south side. They won't stop you."

Wes doesn't move, but Cordy picks up the keys.

Rondell turns to aim at Gunn again: "How can you be sitting up in here with these things and tell me I'm the one that lost the mission?"

Gunn: "Because it's true. - We used to face death because we had to. Now you're chasing it down, man, for the fun of it. That ain't right."

Rondell spins to aim at Cordy, who is helping Fred up.

Rondell: "One! Just one. Her. (Cordy looks at Wes) The others stay."

Gunn: "Rondell, come on, man!"

Cordy: "I'm not leaving here without her. (Puts an arm around Fred) No way."

Some of the gang pull Fred away from her and hustle Cordy towards the door.

Cordy: "No! No!"

Wes takes a hold of Fred and they guys let her go to step back and aim their guns at them again.

Rondell: "The rest'll be able to leave *after* she brings back the vampire. (Glances back at Gunn) Then we'll see who lost the mission."

Rondell motions with his gun at Cordy: "Go."

Cordy looks at Gunn, who nods, then slowly leaves.

Gray demon: "Oh god, oh god, oh god..."

Ugly demon: "Shut up! - He ain't listening."

Cordy follows Angel down the steps into the lobby of the Hyperion.

Cordy: "We have to think of a better plan. This is a bad plan. And I tell you why: it's their plan! They want you to go in there where you *can't* fight, so they can kill you!"

Angel: "I don't have a choice."

Cordy: "It'll be suicide."

Angel: "It'll be okay."

Cordy: "It won't! Angel, you didn't see these guys."

Angel scribbles something on a piece of paper and hands it to Cordy.

Angel: "Here. I want you to go this address."

Cordy: "What is it?"

Angel: "Transuding furies."

Cordy: "Gesundheit."

Angel: "Three sisters. Lorne hires them monthly to cast the sanctorium spell on Caritas. Tell them to lift the spell, then I'll be able to fight back."

Cordy: "They lift the spell then you can fight - all twenty of them and still get killed. Great idea."

Angel: "Cordy, please, just do it."

Cordy: "What if they won't lift the spell?"

Angel starts walking towards the door. Cordy follows after him.

Angel: "They'll lift the spell. Just tell them that it's for - me."

Cordy: "For you? You know them?"

Angel: "I did."

Cordy: "And they're gonna remember you?"

Angel: "They should."

Cordy: "They better! Angel - (He stops and looks back at her) I told her she was safe with me."

Angel sighs: "I know."

Turns and walks out the door.

Gio is up on stage at Caritas singing "Wind Beneath My Wings"

Gio: "Did you ever know that you're my - hero? (Laughs) You're everything I wish I could be. I could fly higher than..."

Wes quietly to Gunn: "We have to do something. Angel walks in here they'll kill him."

Gunn: "No. They won't. They're gonna make *me* do it."

Gio: "...you are the wind beneath my wings. Hey, Chuck! Did I ever tell you you're... (Feedback starts to wine from the speakers) Hey!"

Gio shakes the mike, then throws it away, steps off the stage, turns and shoots the Karaoke machine, stopping the music.

Wesley steps closer to Fred and she clings to the arms he wraps around her.

Gio: "Ah! - You know I'm starting to think this good vamp ain't never gonna show."

Lorne: "Miami."

Gio turns around to look at the host, who is sitting on a chair by the back wall.

Gio: "Did you say something to me, green boy?"

Lorne: "Was three thousand miles really far enough, I wonder? I *know* why you left."

Lorne stands up and two of the guys cocks their gun and points it at his chest but Gio lifts a hand to stop him from shooting Lorne.

Lorne: "Why you ran. - You couldn't stay there, could you? - After what you did. - She trusted you."

Gio, quietly: "Shut up."

Lorne: "Right up until the end she trusted you. Did you know that?"

Gio hauls back and hits Lorne hard across the face. Lorne turns back to look at Gio, his mouth bloodied, but smiling. Gio backs up a step.

Suddenly the ugly demon jumps up and runs for the door.

Guy: "Yo! That one's trying to run!"

A couple guys jump on ugly demon and beat it back into place.

Gray demon: "Oh god, oh god. They'll kill us all."

Gio: "Now, I *told* you to *watch* the door!"

Gunn spins and hits one of the guys, grabs his machine gun and aims it at Gio, while all of the gang (including Rondell) take aim at him.

Gio points at Gunn: "See that? You see that?! (Points at ugly demon) He's trying to save that lowlife! - You know what that kind of thing does? It's a baby killer is what that is. I've seen plenty of them in Florida."

Walks up to ugly demon and smiles at it.

Gio: "You like to eat babies, don't you?"

Ugly: "Yeah, go ahead. I don't care. (Gio walks away from it, to be replaced by another of the gang aiming his machine gun at it) You think I care? Go ahead and do it. Cowards. Cowards."

Gio walks back over towards Gunn: "So who does *he* go after? Who does he draw down on? The baby-killing monster? No, me, that's who. What does that tell you?"

Gunn: "Tells me there's a whole lot of monsters in this room to choose from."

Gio: "Yeah, maybe you one of them. (Takes a step closer to Gunn) You one of them, Chuck? Have they turned you already, huh? You one of 'em?"

Gunn: "Come at me and find out."

Gio: "Yeah, I think he's one of them. (To Gunn) Or - maybe you just wanna be. (Gunn glances at the others in the room) Yeah. That's more like it. I bet they won't even let you in their little club. Huh, Chuck? Damn. You ain't even good enough for the vamps, the demons and the baby-eatin' monsters. Huh. Yeah, that's what I'm guessing. Wine 'em and dine 'em, stick up for them "Oh, yeah. That one's okay" and they still won't put you on! Ain't that a blip?"

Gunn: "Shut up."

Gio smiling: "And all that what we heard about his sister might not be quite right. He was the only one there to see it. You know what I'm sayin'?"

Ugly continually talking in background: "I'll taste your children..."

Gio: "You're the one that let her get vamped in the first place, right Chuck?"

Ugly: "Listen to them scream. Tear of a piece. Have me a meal..."

Gio: "Because I know I wouldn't let no bloodsucker get that close to *my* sister. And why?"

Ugly: "I live in the playgrounds..."

Gio: "Where you thinking that finally she was gonna give it up to you? Was that the plan? And that's why you let her get bit."

Ugly: "Tear up their tiny, tiny bodies. Leave them for husks..."

Gio: "And then when she was there, all vamped out and hungry, you thought you might get that eternal kiss finally and when she said 'no' that's when you stuck it to her! That's what I'm thinkin'."

Gunn: "Shut up!"

Lorne: "No. Not in here. No. No."

Gio: "Is that why you start in here? Is that why you up in here, truckin' with vamps and demons, thinking you're gonna get your little piece of the action?!"

Gunn screaming: "I said shut (shoots the ugly demon going on about killing babies) up!!"

Ugly demon drops, Gio grins and Fred huddles closer against Wes' chest.

Lorne: "This is a sanctuary."

Gio: "Not anymore it ain't."

Angel: "Nice shot. (Looks at Gunn) Am I next?"

Break

Rondell puts down his gun, pulls out a stake and offers it to Gunn.

Rondell: "Prove to everyone here - this *thing* - ain't no friend to you."

Gunn takes the stake never taking his eyes off Angel. Wes leaves Fred to stand in front of Gunn.

Wesley: "This is madness. Angel has a soul."

Gio: "He's a vampire."

Wesley: "With a soul!"

Gio: "Whatever. - You think that makes him the same as us?"

Wesley: "No. Better. (To Gio) Better than you, anyway. When he did his pleasure killing he had no soul. You can make no such claim."

Rondell to Gunn: "What's it gonna be?"

Gunn looks down at the stake in his hand.

Angel: "Here, Charles - let me make it simple for you. (Takes a small step closer and morphs into his vampire face) Take a look. This is what I am. Deal with it or don't. But make a damn choice."

Cordy is sitting on the couch with the three furies floating in the air across from her.

Cordy: "So, ah, Angel says you and he go -way back?"

Furies together: "Mmm, Angel."

Cordy: "Uh, yeah. So, uhm, about that sanctorium mojo you got on at Caritas. Any chance you can pull the plug on that like now - for instance? Kind of an emergency."

Furies speaking in turn: "You would have us lift what has been put in place by mutual consent and contract?"

Cordy: "If you don't, Angel will die."

Furies together: "Mmm, Angel."

Gunn looks at Angel standing there in his vamp face. After a beat he drops the stake.

Gunn: "That's not gonna happen."

Gio: "I knew it!"

Gunn: "You don't know anything. You think I won't kill him because he's my friend? (Angel is back in human face) That ain't why. (Gunn steps closer to Angel) Truth is, he can never be my friend. It's on account of what he is. Not his fault, really. Just the way it worked out."

Rondell: "He ain't your friend. *I* am. And you gonna chose that over me?"

Gunn looks back at Rondell: "Looks like. It's about the mission, bro. He's got it. You don't."

Gio: "Oh - so - you think, just because you're letting that monster live you got the mission, huh? Well, as far as I can see, a monster lover ain't no better than a monster, and I kill monsters. That's what I do. - So - anybody wanna walk out of here tonight, they gonna have to show me. Come on! Step on up and do what your friend here wouldn't: kill the vampire - and you can leave this place. Otherwise - stay and burn with the rest of them. (Holds up his crossbow rig and looks at Fred the group of humans huddled together behind her.) Who wants to live."

Fred slowly gets up from her chair, looks over at Angel.

Fred: "I'm sorry. I just - I don't wanna die."

Gio offers her the crossbow with a big grin on his face.

Cordy: "Look, this is *really* urgent. I know Lorne pays you to cast this spell. What will it take for you to lift it."

Furies speaking in turns: "This is not a debt you can pay."

Cordy: "You don't know that. My credit has been *very* good this last year."

Furies: "Only Angel is equipped to make good on this debt."

Cordy: "Angel. (Rude noise) I don't know. For a guy, who's a couple of centuries old - not very big with the wise investing. (Looks at the smiles on the furies faces) And when you say 'equipped' that isn't what you mean, is it?"

Furies: "Mmm, Angel."

Cordy: "Got it. And 'eww!'"

Fed takes the rig from Gio and puts it on her right arm.

Fred: "I'm sorry. - I just can't die in here."

Lifts the crossbow to point at Angel.

Angel: "It's okay. I understand."

Gio leans in close to Fred: "Alright, now you wanna get it in the heart or it's no good."

Gio takes a step back to give Fred room. Fred looks at Angel takes a couple deep breaths, then spins around to aim the bow at Gio.

Fred: "Although I thought I might just shoot you in the throat instead. Now, if I pierce one of your carotid arteries, considering the temperature in here, 'cause I think somebody shot the thermostat, the blood loss is gonna be heavy. And there's a chance I'll puncture a vocal cord and you won't even be able to scream. Butt you'll want to when the blood loss to your brain results in a cerebral vascular event. - That's a stroke. I wasn't trying to sound snooty."

Angel: "Fred. Fred, it's okay. - Just - point it at me. At *me,* Fred."

Fed shaking her head: "I can't."

Angel inching closer to her: "Yes, you can. It's okay. Really."

Fred looks back at Angel and Gio rips the bow from her hand and pushes her away. Wesley catches her. Gio points the bow at Angel when a flash of light lights up the bar.

Angel looking up at the ceiling with a slight smile: "Thank you, ladies. I owe you one."

Angel knocks the bow out of Gio's hand, then turns to disarm the guy standing next to him. Wes hands Fred over to Lorne and he and Gunn rush in to help Angel against the gang.

Gio: "Come on guys! Fight back! It's ten against three! This is pathetic! Hey, I'm done with you people. I don't even know why I came out to this coast! LA sucks. I'm going back to Florida, alright? You're lucky I don't have my old crew. (The head of the gray demon, sitting on a chair behind Gio, starts to split apart and it morphs into a huge, insect-like monster) I'd drag you out on the beach for a little sunshine and toast your..."

The insect-like monster leans down and bites Gio's head off, leaning back to swallow it in one gulp. Rondell lifts his shotgun and unloads it into the big monsters chest. We hear something big drop to the ground, then there are some quick flash cuts to Wesley helping Fred into the back of a taxi out by the street.

Gunn is talking to Rondell, standing a little ways down the street from the taxi, surrounded by his gang.

(This exchange between Gunn and Rondell wasn't really audible, but the CC had this)

Gunn: "I guess we just have to go our own separate ways, man."

Rondell: All right."

Gunn: "Be well."

Rondell and the gang leave and Gunn walks over to where Wes is waiting beside the Taxi.

Gunn: "Don't guess Rondell and his crew are gonna be crossing Venice boulevard again any time soon."

Wesley: "It's never easy - the pull of divided loyalties. - Whatever choice we do end up making we feel as though we've betrayed someone."

Gunn: "Yeah."

Wesley: "If you ever withhold information or attempt to subvert me again, I will fire you. - I can't have any one member of the team compromising the safety of the group, no matter who it is. If you do it again you will be dismissed, bag and baggage, out of a job onto the streets."

Angel comes walking out of a door in the background and Wes turns away to get into the back of the taxi with Fred.

Gunn watches the taxi take off, turns to see Angel standing there and walks over to him.

Gunn: "So, now you're gonna get on me about all those things I said to you in there."

Angel: "No."

Gunn: "You understand I had to stall. Just had to keep it going."

Angel: "Yeah. I get that."

Gunn: "Doesn't mean I *meant* any of it."

Angel: "No, you meant all of it, but that's okay."

Gunn: "I can't help the way I feel, man. That's just the way it is. - Doesn't mean I don't wanna work with you. Doesn't even mean that I don't like you. - Maybe some day, I don't know."

Angel: "I don't know either. - But I got time."

Angel turns and starts to walk away.

Gunn: "Hey!"

Angel stops and turns back around to look at him.

Gunn: "No matter what else, I think I proved that you can trust me when I could have killed you and I didn't."

Angel: "No. - You'll prove that I can trust you when day comes that you *have* to kill me - and you do."

Gunn watches as Angel turns and walks off, then turns around and walks away himself.