Starring: David Boreanaz as Angel, Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase, Alexis Denisof as Wesley Wyndham-Pryce, and J. August Richards as Charles Gunn

Guest starring: Christian Kane as Lindsey McDonald, Stephanie Romanov as Lilah Morgan, Sam Anderson as Holland Manners, Julia Lee as Anne, Gerry Becker as Nathan Reed, Mark Rolston as Boone

Original air date: January 23, 2001

Written by: Shawn Ryan & Mere Smith
Directed by: R. D. Price

At Cordelia’s apartment Wes and Gunn are challenging each other across a table. Both men stand up and Gunn tells Wes to make his move. Gunn and Wes bring their hands to their mouths and . . . . roll dice? It’s a game of “Risk” and Gunn is kicking Wes’s butt. As Gunn does an impromptu victory dance Cordy comes out of her bedroom and tells both Gunn and Wes to leave and promises to call them if she has a vision. Wes still thinks they are ‘fighting the good fight,’ just without Angel but Gunn isn’t so sure. After all, they don’t have a plan or office or business card. Wes thinks the first thing they should do is get rid of the business cards Cordelia designed, which Cordy doesn’t like. While Gunn and Wes are distracted talking about the business cards Cordy has a vision that drops her to the floor. When Wes and Gunn finally realize that Cordy’s had a vision they help her up and find out there is a 2-headed fire breathing demon arising in the sewers beneath a girl’s school Gunn and Wes dash out of the apartment.

In another part of town Angel accidentally walks into a young woman carrying a large box knocking the box and its contents over. The young woman and Angel pick up the clothes donated to the East Hills Teen Center and put them back in the box. The young woman tells Angel that there’s always a frenzy when a new batch of clothes comes in. Angel tells her that it’s a good thing that she’s doing. The woman tells Angel she’s running late and she heads off to the teen center. Angel returns to his rooms at the Hyperion and empties his pocket. He’s stolen the young woman’s wallet and, as he looks up, looks over a number of photographs he’s apparently taken of the young woman, working with the teens, at the center, and with Lindsey McDonald.

Meanwhile Wes and Gunn are in the sewers looking for the demon in Cordy’s vision. Gunn is a little freaked about the demon they’re looking for and starts to wish for something but Wes interrupts him and tells Gunn that it’s no good wishing that Angel was with them. Gunn tells Wes that he was going to wish that they had some dynamite to fight the demon with. Gunn and Wes find the demon and are scared by its size. They wait until the demon turns its back and then start to charge but are driven back by fire. Gunn’s a little upset because Cordy told them the demon •breathed• fire but he and Wes charge the demon anyway.

In the meantime Angel is paying a visit to Merle, Angel’s demon stoolie. Angel is displeased with Merle because Angel asked Merle for a favor and Merle has yet to fulfill that favor. Angel threatens to bust open Merle’s head if Merle doesn’t tell Angel what he wants to know. Merle tells Angel that the girl is clean. She has changed her name a couple of times but doesn’t have a record. According to Merle her only connection with Wolfram & Hart is that they cleared up some troubles with the teen center’s lease and did it pro bono. Angel thinks Wolfram & Hart did the work pro bono as an angle but Merle tells Angel that the teen center is completely legitimate.

At the teen center the young woman is reminding one of her employees of the rules when Angel arrives with a bag of clothes as a donation. Angel introduces himself to the woman, Anne (see also BtVS 2.7, “Lie to Me” and 3.1, “Anne”). Anne thanks Angel for his donation (of Cordy’s clothes) and Angel tells Anne he wishes he could do more. Anne offers to give Angel a tour of the facility. Anne shows Angel her office and tells Angel the center runs completely on donations. Angel likes the shelter but thinks it’s tough trying to run the center just on donations. Anne tells Angel that the center has a guardian angel - Wolfram & Hart. According to Anne Wolfram & Hart has really helped the center over the last couple of months including defending some of the teens in court. Anne tells Angel that Wolfram & Hart came up with the idea for a fund raiser, a ball where TV celebs ‘hold up’ the guests of the donations. And Wolfram & Hart is picking up the tab for everything, including finding TV stars to attend. Anne thinks Wolfram & Hart is doing this because it’s good for their image and really doesn’t care that the theme is kinda lame as long as the center benefits from it.

At Merle’s place Merle is knocked to the ground by a big blue-faced demon looking for him. The blue-faced demon tells Merle that he has a prior history with Angel and starts asking Merle a bunch of questions. The demon wants to know what Angel cares about. Merle tells the demon that the last job Angel sent Merle on was to follow some “charity chick” (Anne). Merle doesn’t think the job had anything to do with the woman, it had to do with Wolfram & Hart. The demon asks what Wolfram & Hart is and Merle tells him it’s technically a law firm but more like Evil, Incorporated and that Angel’s been trying to nail 2 of the lawyers there. The demon grabs Merle by the neck and demands that Merle tell him about the lawyers.

In the Wolfram & Hart parking garage Lilah walks towards her car, gets in, and starts the engine. Lilah is really startled when she turns around and finds Angel sitting in the back seat. Angel congratulates Lilah on her recent promotion to co-Vice President of Special Projects and tells Lilah that he was happy to be able to help her towards the promotion. Lilah isn’t fooled by Angel and makes a move for the car door but Angel stops her before she can get the door open. Lilah tries to convince Angel that her new position of power will allow her to make policy changes at Wolfram & Hart. Angel tells Lilah that he knows there are no rules in the little game they’ve been playing. After months of Lilah and Lindsey messing with Angel’s head, Angel finally gets to be the mess-er instead of the mess-ee. Lilah starts to plead with Angel but Angel stops her by saying that the begging will come later. Quicker than Lilah can see, Angel leaves her car.

The next day Lilah tells Lindsey what happened the night before. Lindsey wants Lilah to relax because Angel isn’t going to kill a human but Lilah thinks the rules have changed. Their conversation is interrupted by the big blue-faced demon that visited Merle. The demon introduces himself as Boone and tells Lilah and Lindsey that he has a grudge against Angel. Boone explains that he and Angel fought over a woman in the 1920s in Juarez. The fight lasted over three hours and ended when the sun came up and Boone let Angel go. Lilah’s a little dumbfounded that Boone let Angel go and Boone tries to explain that letting Angel go was a matter of honor. Boone tells Lilah and Lindsey that he was at Caritas when he found out about Merle and his connection with Angel and that, according to Merle, Angel is trying to pull the rug out from under both Lindsey and Lilah. Boone proposes that he be waiting when Angel tries to take out Lindsey and Lilah. Lindsey is very happy with this plan and asks Boone how much he’ll charge and Boone is a bit offended. Boone’s beef with Angel isn’t about money, it’s about finding out which one of them is better. Lilah tries to turn Boone down but Lindsey interrupts and takes Lilah out to the hall for a chat. Lilah thinks Boone’s plan is bad because the Senior Partners want Angel alive and if Angel dies the Senior Partners will come down hard on both Lindsey and Lilah. Lindsey doesn’t really much care, he just wants Angel dead. Lindsey wins the argument.

In Cordelia’s apartment Gunn and Wes are regaling Cordy with their demon-killing exploits from the night before. Both Gunn and Wes are laughing as they explain to Cordy how they killed the demon. Cordy’s a bit surprised that neither of them were scared, that is until Gunn admits that they were “pants wettin’” kinda scared the whole time. Cordy is impressed because Gunn and Wes killed the demon but Gunn corrects her - all three of them did it After they toast their success Cordy tells Wes and Gunn that she found an office nearby for the new agency. Wes and Gunn are both excited and want to see the place. As the three of them head to the door they start to have a disagreement - what will they call the new agency? Each of them wants to name it after themselves.

At the Hyperion Angel is looking at Merle’s photos of Anne and Lindsey. After a few seconds, Angel starts to take all of the photos down.

Meanwhile Merle comes back to his place with some Chinese food when he’s assaulted inside his rooms. Merle thinks it’s Angel but it’s Lilah and some muscle from Wolfram & Hart. Lilah wants to know what kinds of favors Merle does for Angel and Merle wants to know how much the information is worth. Lilah tells Merle her offer is competitive, then signals the muscle who punches Merle in the nose. . . hard. Merle spills his guts, that he’s been following this girl.

At the teen center Anne is working on the books in her office late at night when she hears a noise outside her door. When Anne goes to investigate the main room of the center is empty except for Angel. Angel confesses to Anne that he’s had her watched and that he stole her wallet. Anne wants to call the police but Angel tries to explain that he just can’t lie to her any more. Angel tells Anne that he’s interested in Wolfram & Hart and that they will probably use the charity fund raiser to line their own pockets rather than to help the teen center. Anne asks Angel why she should trust him after his near-stalking. Angel replies that Wolfram & Hart aren’t what they say they are. Angel wants to prove it to Anne but can’t because Lindsey arrives. Lindsey tells Anne that he’d have been there sooner if Lindsey knew that Angel was there. Angel tells Lindsey that his act isn’t believable which Lindsey ignores. Instead Lindsey tells Anne that Angel is unbalanced and dangerous. And Lindsey has a surprise for Angel. Lindsey’s brought Boone with him. Angel tells Boone he is a little surprised that Boone is working with Wolfram & Hart and that Angel thought Boone had integrity. Boone tells Angel that he does have integrity and steel rods coil down from Boone’s wrists and wrap around the palm of Boone’s hands a couple times. Boone launches himself at Angel and the two fight. In the beginning the fight is pretty evenly matched but Boone starts to get the upper hand. After a few minutes Angel is thrown across the floor and he gets up and dashes out of the center. Boone wants to follow but Lindsey stops him under the pretense that Angel is no longer threatening Anne. Lindsey tells Boone to go out to the car and wait for him there.

Anne confronts Lindsey and tells him that Angel suspects that Wolfram & Hart is planning on stealing the money from the fundraiser. Lindsey denies it but Anne tells him the Angel claims to have proof. Lindsey denies that Angel has proof, too, then asks Anne who she’s going to trust - a mentally unstable vampire or the people at Wolfram & Hart who have worked really hard to put the fundraiser together for Anne’s kids. Lindsey doesn’t want the teens to lose out because Anne made the wrong choice. Once again Anne asks Lindsey if Angel has proof and Lindsey replies that Angel can’t have any proof.

Later Lindsey and Lilah are talking about the proof that Angel has. Lindsey thinks that everything will work out but Lilah is worried that their plan to bilk $2 million from a teen shelter is going to go public. Both Lindsey and Lilah blame each other for leaking the information to someone and are convinced that Angel has a tape of their conversations somewhere. Lindsey is convinced that Angel will use the tape to try to humiliate them. Lilah thinks Angel will send the tape to TV stations but Lindsey thinks that plan is too impersonal. Instead Angel would want to see Lilah and Lindsey humiliated so Lindsey figures Angel will reveal the tape at the charity ball. Lindsey calls Wolfram & Hart to up the security at the ball so they can prevent Angel from making a move.

At the teen shelter Anne is working in her office when Angel stops by. Angel asks Anne what Lindsey told her about him. Anne tells Angel what Lindsey said and Angel is a little surprised that Anne isn’t shaken by the fact that Angel is a vampire. Anne tells Angel that she’d met a vampire a couple years ago but she’s seen worse things since then. Anne tells Angel she really doesn’t care if Wolfram & Hart is evil or if Angel had a good reason for cutting off Lindsey’s hand, she just cares about the teens at the shelter. Anne doesn’t care that she might only get 5% of the money raised because that’s more money than the shelter could raise in a couple of years. Angel asks Anne about the other 95%, does she care where that money is going. Angel claims that there is blood on the money and asks Anne if she can ignore that. Angel asks for Anne’s help to get into the party. Angel claims that when he plays a tape the world will know that Wolfram & Hart are evil. Angel tells Anne that she should do this because it’s right in the long run. Anne responds that most of her kids don’t have a ‘long run.’ Anne tells Angel that she can’t do what he asks.

At the charity ball guests mingle while a videotape of the late Holland Manners (see AtS 2.10, “Reunion”), talking about Wolfram & Hart’s dedication to children and the East Hills Teen Center, plays in the background. Lilah is approached by Nathan Reed, one of Lilah’s bosses, who congratulates Lilah on the scheme to raise money for Wolfram & Hart. Lilah introduces Nathan to Anne and reminds Anne to save some time for interviews later. Meanwhile Lindsey is checking the status of his security measures. The security chief assures Lindsey that everyone is in radio contact, including Zorn who can sense vampires. Lindsey reminds the security chief that as soon as a vampire is detected the chief is to alert Boone.

When the video of Holland ends Lilah takes the stage and gives some inspirational words about Holland’s vision of the future. Then Lilah introduces the TV celebs who are going to “rob” the guests of their donations. As the celebs circulate and rob the guests, Wolfram & Hart accounts count the take, and security looks for Angel. But Angel has outsmarted them all. He’s on the balcony wearing Zorn’s robes. Some how Angel got to Zorn before Zorn could raise the alarm. Suddenly Boone is on the balcony with Angel. Boone asks Angel if he’s ready to finish their. . . disagreement.

After the money has been collected Lilah is delivering a thank-you speech which is interrupted by a fight in the balcony. It’s Angel and Boone finishing their disagreement. Both Boone and Angel fall of the balcony to the ballroom floor where their fight is interrupted. Security grabs Angel and Lindsey searches Angel’s coat for the tape but can’t find it. Boone comes over, stands next to Angel, and tells Lindsey that Angel doesn’t have a tape. Angel thanks Boone for getting him into the ball. Yikes! Looks like Lilah and Lindsey have been conned, big time. Lilah figures out that •Anne• has the tape and she and Lindsey take off running across the room to try to stop Anne before she can put the tape into a video machine. A camera crew covering the event captures Lindsey’s and Lilah’s mad dash on large screen monitors so that everyone in the room sees them. Lindsey and Lilah are too late! Anne places the tape into the machine and the tape plays. But instead of a tape of Lindsey and Lilah talking about skimming money from the charity fund, it’s a tape of Cordy’s and Wes’s feet while the two of them argue, then Cordy rehearsing some scenes, then Wes dancing (ugh!). Angel walks up to Lindsey and Lilah and tells them they were acting like crazy people and admits that he has nothing of them on tape. Lindsey asks Angel if he hired Boone but Angel tells Lindsey that Lindsey hired Boone. . . . for an obscene amount of money. Lindsey and Lilah both realize that the video tape was a diversion and they make a mad dash for the money counting table. Too late! Boone and the money are gone.

As Angel is leaving the ball Anne stops him and slaps him across the face. Anne is outraged that Angel would let her risk the teen center to achieve his own ends. Anne wants to know about the money and Angel tells her the money was tainted. Anne starts to tell Angel that she doesn’t care about that but he disagrees. According to Angel caring is the difference between the two of them. Anne still cares.

Later at Wolfram & Hart Lindsey and Lilah are being reprimanded by Nathan Reed. Nathan tells the two of them that Holland had a soft spot for Lindsey and Lilah that may have clouded Holland’s judgement. But Nathan isn’t about to make that mistake. Nathan ‘suggests’ that Lindsey and Lilah start stockpiling some successful projects. Lilah takes the advice but Lindsey challenges Nathan. Lindsey wants to know how they are supposed to succeed when their efforts are limited by the “don’t kill Angel” rule. Lindsey thinks that Angel is an obstacle to everything that Wolfram & Hart stands for and he wants a good reason why Angel shouldn’t be dusted on the spot. Nathan is pretty furious and tells Lindsey that Angel is a major player in the upcoming apocalypse. According to Nathan Angel’s side in the apocalypse is a grey area and Wolfram & Hart and the Senior Partners are going to do everything in their power to make sure that the area stays grey. Nathan tells Lilah and Lindsey that Angel’s obsession with the two of them could play into the firm’s favor. After all, if Angel kills either Lindsey or Lilah then it’s pretty clear which side Angel will fight on in the apocalypse. And Nathan’s cool with the two of them dying. But he’s not cool with Angel dying.

At the hotel Angel walks through the lobby but stops, turns around, and greets Boone. Boone’s brought the money which he figures is about $2.5 million. Boone has to know which one of them is better, and it’s winner take all. As Angel and Boone look at each other across the Hyperion lobby the steel cords wrap around the palms of Boone’s hands.

At the teen center Angel drops off a bag of money with Anne. Anne tells Angel she’ll find a way to hide the money from Wolfram & Hart. Anne asks Angel what is on some of the money and Angel tells her it’s blood. Anne tells Angel that the blood can be washed out of the money.

Summary by Kirsten.