Written by: Mere Smith
Directed by: Terrence O’Hara

Cast: David Boreanaz as Angel, Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase, Alexis Denisof as Wesley Wyndham-Pryce, Vincent Kartheiser as Connor, J. August Richards as Charles Gunn.

Guest Stars: Eliza Dushku as Faith, Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg.

Original Air Date – March 19, 2003

In the bookstore, Angelus is drinking Faith. He suddenly drops her, moves back and then asks her what she did. Flashback to earlier - Faith injecting a needle into her arm while Wesley was holding the gun on Angelus. Angelus passes out and Wesley comes over to check on Faith. He asks if she’s all right. She manages to say, “Kicked his ass,” before she passes out too.

In the hotel lobby, Fred is doing research at the front desk when Gunn comes in carrying Angelus. Fred asks what happened and he says Wes called and he went. Lorne and Connor come in to find out what’s going on and they ask where Faith is. Wes comes walking in with Faith in his arms and tells them she captured Angelus. Wes, Lorne and Fred take Faith to a room in the hotel while Connor and Gunn return Angelus to his cage downstairs. Fred grabs a towel and some water, pulls the bandage off Faith’s neck and cleans the bite marks on her neck. Downstairs, Connor realizes Angelus fed off of Faith because he can smell blood on his breath. Angelus starts mumbling in his sleep at the same time Faith does upstairs in her room. Lorne, in Faith’s room, tells Wesley he can’t believe he shot Faith up. Wesley tells him it was her choice.

In the meantime, Connor heads to Cordy’s room to fill her in on what happened. He tells her Faith is in a coma and Cordy asks where Angelus is. Connor tells her not to worry – that he will always protect her and their family. “That’s sweet,” she says and asks if Angelus is guarded. Connor tells her Faith really did a number on him, which angers Cordy and she punches him. She asks what it is with him and Faith and tells him she sees the way he looks at her. Connor, confused, tells her that’s not how it is and wonders how she managed to hit him while the spell was in effect. She reminds him that they’re different and then asks him to go check on Faith.

In Faith’s room, Connor asks what’s going to happen to her. Lorne says she shot up with a mystical variety of Orpheus and it isn’t entirely physical. It’s an enchanted drug. He believes that the drug, plus the biting, makes for some serious psychic psychedelic and the more you take, the deeper you sink. Wesley tells them it leads you down to hell (flash to Faith, then to Angelus) and leaves you there.

In their minds, Faith and Angelus meet up in New York, 1902. They watch as a long haired, scruffy looking Angel makes his way through a crowd of men and women pouring off a ship in NY Harbor. Angelus moves to block Angel’s path, but he walks right through him. “Hey, what’s that about? Faith says she doesn’t know – it’s his flashback. Angelus lunges at her, but he goes right through her. He wants to know why she’s in his flashback and she says it must be the drug. She tells him it must be a “this is your life” kind of deal. He says this isn’t his life –it’s Angel’s. He tells her it annoyed the crap out of him the first time around and asks why she gets to be Marley’s ghost. She says it’s because she’s dying and her last job is to baby-sit him long enough for them to put Angel’s soul back. He tells her it isn’t going to happen and says he thought those suicidal tendencies got squashed in the big enlightenment. “I rolled the dice. Paid even odds,” she says.

Flash forward to Chicago, the early 20’s. Angelus and Faith stand outside the Blue Mood Lounge listening to the sound of jazz music. Angelus looks over and sees Angel on the other side of the street. “Oh no, I remember this place. I’ve got to get out of here.” Faith asks him why he’s freaking out and he says, “It’s coming – again.” A car comes around the corner, drives down the street and Angel runs out in front it. Faith screams at him to get out of the road, but Angel continues across. Seeing Angel holding a puppy in his hands, Faith giggles and taunts Angelus about rescuing a puppy. A woman comes out of the lounge, takes the puppy and asks how she can thank him. He tells her to get lost and Angelus, frustrated, stands in the background telling him they haven’t fed on a human in decades and she’s practically begging for it. Faith then realizes they are reliving Angel’s good deeds. “You are in hell,” she says with a laugh.

In reality, Wesley and the others feel Faith is dying. Wes, standing in the hotel lobby with Fred and Connor, says the only thing they can do for her now is to finish what she started. Connor says it’s impossible – no jar, no soul; no soul, no Angel. Fred says she’s been doing some research, but Connor believes they need to put Angelus down. The door opens and in walks Willow. “I don’t think so. I think you need a witch.”
Willow walks over to the desk where Wes, Connor and Fred are standing and asks if she came at a bad time. Wes and Fred say hi to her and then she introduces herself to Connor. Willow walks over to Fred and they yammer for a bit. “Did the call of magic draw you here,” Wes asks her. “Oh no, more like the call of Fred,” she says with a smile. Wes then realizes she’s the only living person to re-ensoul Angel. Willow wants to start the debriefing and asks to see Cordy. Connor says she isn’t up for visitors, but Wes tells him she’d one to see Willow.

Upstairs, Willow goes into Cordy’s room and sits on the bed. They do a little catching up and then Cordy asks if she went to see Angelus. Willow says no, there are too many memories and mentions how glad she is she doesn’t have to be in the same room to put his soul back. Cordy feels around under her blanket and finds a big knife. She asks Willow if she really thinks she can do it and Willow says it was the first spell she ever learned and there’s no way she’ll forget it. They talk about the complications (the soul’s in a jar – the jar is missing) and then Willow gets an idea about how they can do it. She goes over to the door, tells Cordy “this is fantastic - we’re going to get him back,” and then leaves. Cordy throws the knife just as she does and it sticks into the door.

In Faith’s room, Lorne sits on her bed and sings to her as she and Angelus move into the 70’s. Inside a donut shop, Angel walks over to the jukebox and selects a song. He stands there swaying to the music as “Mandy” plays. Angelus and Faith take a seat in a booth and she teases him about Angel’s love of power ballads. A couple walks past Angel and he looks at them longingly and then goes to have coffee at the counter. Angelus hears a buzzing sound and swats at the air. He tells Faith that every time Angel gets close, he feels it and the hunger is like a knife in his gut. She tells him it isn’t his gut – Angel belongs on the outside. Angelus says it doesn’t matter – he’s always there. A robber comes into the shop then and shoots the man behind the counter. Angelus tells Faith he loves this episode and then they watch as Angel goes over and tries to help the guy on the floor. The buzzing sound comes and Angelus swats the air again. “What is that buzzing?”

In her room, Cordy is using the orb to try and contact Angelus. She tells him to awaken, but of course, he doesn’t. She gets frustrated and tells him to lie there and let that redheaded meddler put his soul back in then.

Downstairs, Willow is trying to pull together everything they need for the spell. She and Wesley talk about their dark sides and Wes tells her she seems exactly the same as when he left Sunnydale. “No other major changes I’m not up on,” he asks. She shrugs and tells him just a bunch of little things.

At the donut shop, Faith and Angelus watch Angel try to help the clerk before he dies. Angel keeps telling him how sorry he is and then he stands and backs away. Angelus asks Faith who her hero is now and Faith says it wasn’t his fault. Angelus tells her it’s all about choices – the ones you make with your heart of hearts. Angel walks over, locks the donut shop door and returns to the clerk. Angelus reminds her that he’s always there, soul or no soul and they watch Angel bite the clerk. Faith’s neck begins to bleed again and she tells Angelus he was going to save him. Angelus says maybe he chose to be a little slow on the draw. He says she’s a murderer and she knows how good that blurry line tastes. “You didn’t think my hell was private, did you,” he asks as Angel screams.

In the hotel, Lorne wipes off the tears streaming down Faith’s face. He thinks she’s close to dying now and tells Connor he can hold her hand if he’d like. Wesley comes in and tells them it’s time.

In the lobby, Fred, Gunn, Wesley and Connor join Willow as she begins the spell. A wave of energy hits Willow and she slides across the floor. Upstairs, Cordy holds her crystal and says she will not interfere with what must come to pass. Willow gets up and tries a banishing spell, but it doesn’t work. She says there is someone in her head and Wes tells her it’s the Beast’s Master and he is enormously powerful. As Willow continues to battle Cordy, her eyes turn black and the ground starts to rumble. Lorne sits in Faith’s room and tried to comfort her while the building shakes around them. He assures her they will get Angel back and it will all be worth it.

In a dark alley, Angelus asks Faith if that’s what she tells herself. Faith looks around, sees Angelus and asks him if he kisses his mama with that mouth. He tells her no, but he ate her with it. He tells her he can feel her fading fast. “All the same, I can hear this holler in the distance that tells me you’re about to get what’s coming to you.” Angelus tells her he won’t because he has friends in high places. “Him not being one of them,” he says and they look to see Angel stumbling around in the trash. He grabs a rat and eats it. Faith asks when this is and Angelus says, “When it isn’t? Twenty years after that stupid donut shop and his fingers never smelled of anything but rat. I’m so sorry. I give up. I’m going to live in a sewer.” Faith says he’s paying for what he did, but Angelus says he’s hiding from what he is. He tells her he already knows this crap and wonders why he has to go through it again. Angel stands and says, “Maybe because it’s not all about you – jackass.”

In the meantime, Willow continues the spell in the lobby while Cordy tries to block her every move from upstairs. The hotel is shaking and Wes asks Connor if he can feel it. Connor says there is something evil rising in the hotel and a huge, demonic head appears in the lobby. Willow tells them to ignore it and she keeps going. She tells the glowing ball in front of her to leave her side and find it’s target. In Cordy’s room, she puts a hand up to stop the ball from breaking the jar holding the soul in it. Then Connor starts beating on the door, breaks her concentration and the glass shatters. “Let loose the soul,” Willow chants from below.

In the alley, Angelus and Angel fight as Angel tries to encourage Faith to get up. He tells her that he isn’t perfect - even with the soul he’s done things he wished he could take back. Faith tells him she’s dying and Angel says that’s a lot easier than redemption.

Meanwhile, Connor finally manages to push his way into Cordy’s room only to have her smash him on the head with a vase. She apologizes and says she thought the floaty head thing came back. He asks if it hurt her and she said they nearly got killed. She thinks Willow opened a gateway and let hell itself into the hotel. Connor says he’s going to go make her stop, but Cordy says he can’t – she’s too powerful. The only thing he can do to save them now is to kill Angelus.

As Willow continues the soul restoration spell downstairs, Cordy tells him that he has to kill his father now before anything else goes wrong. She says he knows how hard she fought to save Angel’s life, but there comes a time when you have to weigh risk against reward. As much as she loves Angel, as a friend, the only way to guarantee their safety is to kill Angelus now. (Flash to Gunn still guarding Angelus downstairs.) “I know it in my heart now. You’re not just protecting me. You’re protecting the world.” (Flash to Faith in her room.) “Sometimes one death can spare infinite pain.”

As Angelus and Angel fight continue to fight in the alley, Connor makes his way down the hallway, sees the group on the lobby working on Angel’s soul and heads downstairs. As he moves, we hear a voice over of his and Cordy’s conversation. “What will I tell the others?” “They can’t stop you if they don’t know.” “What about the sanctuary spell?” “I can fix it. We’re special Connor. Special.” Connor arrives downstairs and knocks Gunn out.

Back in the alley, Angel leaves the fight and goes over to Faith. “Faith, listen to me. You saw me drink. It doesn’t get much lower than that and I thought I could make up for it by disappearing.” “I did my time,” she says. “Our time is never up Faith. We pay for everything.” “It hurts,” she says and Angel tells her he knows, but he needs her to get up and fight. “Do you understand what I’m saying?” Then Angelus sneaks up behind him and knocks him out. Faith gets up and Angelus asks if she’s getting back in the game. “I guess I am,” she says and disappears.

In her room, Faith wakes with a start and without a moment’s pause, she runs out of the room. In the lobby, Willow finishes the spell and Angel and Angelus start to glow and then merge in the alley. In the basement, Faith grabs Connor as he starts to attack Angel. The two of them fight and then Angel manages to grab him through the bars. “Connor, it’s over. It’s me. Really.”

A little later, Angel is standing on the balcony outside the lobby. Faith comes out and the two of them talk for a bit. They head back inside and everyone says their goodbyes. After Willow and Faith leave, Angel turns to face the gang and says, “So, we’re back.” He starts to say something else, but a very pregnant Cordy comes down the stairs and says, “Sorry Angel, but if this is the speech about how the worst is behind us, you might want to save it for later.”