"The Magic Bullet"
Written & Directed by: Jeffrey Bell
All around Los Angeles, people are extremely happy and kind, but Fred, who knows something is up runs through the town followed closely by Gunn and Wesley. Fred loses them and hides down in the sewers. Lorne works the front desk, checking people into the various rooms of the hotel. One guy arrives too late to get a room, but is desperate enough to offer his house in return for staying, although Lorne rejects it. Jasmine comes downstairs with Angel and Connor and walks through the crowd, telling a few people the answers to their big questions. When Gunn and Wesley return, Angel and Connor slip off to the office to chat and they talk about the need to find Fred, but to keep her alive so Jasmine can help her. Jasmine goes upstairs with a select few of her followers, while Gunn and Wesley watch on, envious of the chosen.
Fred visits a bookshop for a second time, asking about mass mind control. They talk about Jasmine and mind control and the man presents a book on how to control minds, but he won't give Fred the book. Angel and Connor search through the sewers on Fred's trail while talking about how Connor learned his tracking skills in Quor-toth, but they return to the hotel prematurely at Jasmine's mental request. At the hotel, Jasmine gathers the gang together and has them form a circle to help her search for Fred using their combined mind power. As Fred checks into a motel, Jasmine is able to see her through the eyes of all the others at the motel. Fred runs down the street, her path chased and blocked by cars driven by Jasmine's followers. One vehicle crashes into a parked car and bursts into flames, but the driver emerges covered in flames, still trying to catch Fred.
Jasmine's hand suddenly burns against Connor's and the mind search stops. Jasmine changes the subject from her injury, instructing the others on the new connections they have and the need to help keep the hotel running smoothly. The gang gets a taste of Jasmine's enhanced senses as she sends them messages with her mind. She mentally suggests that two more of the followers be brought up to her before the others continue with their hotel-running efforts. Fred walks alone down a street as a car passes her, then stops and backs up towards her. She falls down a hill at the edge of the road and crashes into a demon inside of an underground cave. The demon says he doesn't eat humans, but Fred keeps her guard up and holds onto an ax.
At the hotel, Wesley explains to a crowd of Jasmine's followers the dangers of Fred. Lorne takes over and updates the crowd on Jasmine, then opens the microphone to everyone to talk and sing about their love for Jasmine. Angel and Connor even get in on the act and sing about Jasmine. Fred talks with the demon and finds that they're both on the run from Jasmine and her followers. The demon accidentally unveils a stash of human hands, revealing that he does eat humans and then he flies at Fred, biting into her shoulder. Fred struggles with him until she reaches for the ax again and kills the little demon. The wound on her arm though gives her an idea and Fred goes to the bookshop again, where Jasmine's followers surround her. Jasmine wakes up in her bed, sensing Fred's presence.
Inside, the store owner tells Fred that she won't be harmed by them, but Fred takes little comfort in that. Fred moves behind the store counter, then Jasmine arrives with Angel and Connor at her side. Jasmine is forgiving and welcomes Fred back, but Fred pulls out a gun from the drawer and shoots, hitting Jasmine and then Angel with the bullet. Angel's demon reacts and flies at Fred, turning the gun on her. Fred asks Angel to look at Jasmine and for the first time, he's able to see the disgusting version of Jasmine that Fred sees and immediately pulls away, stunned. Watching Angel's reaction, Jasmine realizes that her blood allows them to see her for what she is. Fred grabs the gun again and fires several bullets into Jasmine, wounding her and spilling her blood around.
Jasmine informs Connor that Angel and Fred are lost to them and lets the two escape while she leaves with Connor. Before she leaves though, she instructs the bookshop owner to burn the store so that no one else touches her blood and he does so without question. Meanwhile, Gunn, Wesley and Lorne eat at the hotel with others and talk about how down they feel without Jasmine around. Jasmine returns with Connor, but without Angel and the gang gathers in the office for an update. Jasmine blames Fred for Angel's infection and vows to remove their "hate" so they will have no more conflicts. Outside in the lobby, Jasmine selects three of her followers to go upstairs with her.
Fred wakes up in an abandoned building with a distant Angel standing by. They both share in the pain of loving Jasmine while knowing the truth about her. Fred finally breaks down, unable to handle all the stress, but Angel tries to comfort her. They realize they need more of Jasmine's blood to convince others of the truth. They hear voices and Fred tries to provide them with a cover by kissing Angel. Angel and Fred's reactions aside, the bystanders don't by the distraction and attack. In her room, Jasmine has the three followers remove their clothes and as she stands before one of them, one of her wounds heals. After a couple of followers leave Cordelia's room, Angel and Fred break in through the window. Regrettably, Angel pulls out a knife to take some of Cordelia's blood. Before Angel can cut her skin, Cordelia's hand rises and grips his arm.
Angel's hopes rise at the action, but Fred tells him it's something that occasionally happens with people in comas. They continue with their mission, draining some of Cordelia's blood into a cup. Lorne enters to offer some love and praise to Cordelia, but quickly realizes that Angel and Fred are not followers offering good wishes. Angel silences him before he's heard. A green glow slips out from the cracks of the Jasmine's room and Jasmine emerges, newly recovered. She nonchalantly informs him that she ate the three people that went in with her and Connor doesn't seem to mind that. A depressed Lorne wallows in his misery after being exposed to Jasmine's blood and seeing the truth of the situation. Lorne then slips downstairs and tries to blend in before luring Gunn and Wesley upstairs.
Eventually, the vast majority of the Fang Gang is aware of Jasmine's true identity, but none of them handle the news well. No one is quite sure how they're going to fix this problem, but Angel doesn't want to leave Connor. Wesley volunteers to get the teen and he successfully brings him into the hotel room with the others. Angel grabs Connor and they cut him, then give him some of Jasmine's blood. He struggles at first, but then he calms gives the impression that he understands the truth now. As Connor backs away to the door, seemingly in disbelief about Jasmine, he calls out into the hallway, alerting everyone else to the presence of Angel and the other rebels.
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