"War Zone"
A young African-American girl, Alonna, walks down an alley in a rundown part of town. She looks nervous as she glances back over her shoulder every once in a while and picks up the pace, walking faster. She's being followed by three vampires.
The girl comes to a dead end, stops and turns to face her pursuers. The sound of footsteps and a vehicle behind the vamps gets their attention. One of them turns to look at the source of the sounds. The vampire seems to recognize one of the new arrivals.
We see a pair of black shoes, black pants, a sword and a long black coat. The obvious assumption is that it's Angel, but when we see the man's face, it's that of a young African-American man, Charles Gunn.
A pickup truck pulls up behind him and another boy, armed with a loaded crossbow, steps alongside him.
Wes, Cordy and Angel enter a posh house where a party is going on. Cordelia is immediately onto the scent of something she finds invigorating.
Wesley offers his opinion that it's Camembert.
Cordelia corrects him, it's money she's smelling, she likes it.
Angel tells Wes it's no joke and suggests he try hiding some cash in the office sometime just to see Cordelia's reaction.
Cordelia points out a man in a plaid shirt, sitting off in the corner. She calls to him, addressing him as Mr. Nabbit.
Nabbit greets her as he and Cordy shake hands. Nabbit thanks them for coming.
Angel thanks him for inviting them.
Nabbit doesn't know who any of them are.
Cordelia tells him her name and reminds him that she spoke to him on the phone.
Nabbit remembers now. He assumes Angel's identity correctly as he shakes hands with everyone again.
Angel introduces Wesley.
Cordelia is distracted by the sight of one of the guests. She wonders if it's "Welling Harding".
Nabbit doesn't know. He says he doesn't know most of the people at his party, he doesn't really talk to them. They come to his parties, he thinks they enjoy themselves. He offers Cordy and company some hors d'oeuvres.
Angel wonders if the timing is a bit off and offers that they can come back at another time if that's the case.
Nabbit says Cordy told him that Angel could only conduct business meetings at night and she thought they'd be less conspicuous meeting during the party.
Angel gives Cordy a look. She grins uncomfortably and looks away.
Nabbit goes on to say he agrees that it was a good idea to meet in this setting since they're not likely to be interrupted. Nabbit seems nervous and uncomfortable. He tells them he always promised himself he'd become rich in the software business and learn how to talk to girls. He's accomplished the first of those goals but seems to be having some trouble with the second.
Angel inquires why he needs their services.
Nabbit admits it's a matter of blackmail. He wonders if Angel is familiar with "Dungeons and Dragons."
Angel says he's been around some, taking Nabbit literally.
Wesley is quick to jump in, clarifying Nabbit is referring to the game of D&D.
Angel looks at Wes. He understands the reference now.
Nabbit goes on to explain that he used to play D&D a lot, he liked the role playing aspects of becoming someone else, fighting demons, doing magic spells and romancing demon lovers.
Cordelia wonders if someone found out Nabbit was a "nerd."
He laughs and says they always knew that but some of the D&D players went a bit far with the game when it came to the demon lovers part. He says they heard about a place where they could gets some real demon action.
Wesley is familiar with the place, he offers up the name, "Madam Dorion's".
Nabbit says he was only there one time.
Angel looks up at Wesley, still not sure where this is going.
Nabbit admits he may have been there not once, but twice.
Wesley explains that Madam Dorion's is a demon brothel in Bel Air. He heard stories about it when he was with the Council.
Angel starts to ask Nabbit how many when Nabbit cuts him off and admits he'd been there 12 times.
Angel finishes his question and asks how many people knew he had been going there.
Nabbit says only his friends knew but his security people have already identified the blackmailer. He hands Angel a photo. He identifies the guy as "Lenny Edwards". He knows who he is, but they haven't been able to find him.
Angel puts the photo in his coat and tells Nabbit they'll look into it as he stands up.
Nabbit is concerned what will happen if his company's shareholders see the blackmail photos.
Angel assures him that won't happen.
Cordelia promises him they are very discreet. She thinks it would be best if they stayed at the party for awhile, so as not to arouse suspicion that they are anything but guests.
A young woman walks by and greets Nabbit by his first name, David.
He smiles and greets her back then, after she departs, admits to the others he has no idea who she is. He thought LA was all glitz and valet parking when he moved there but he realizes there's another world that nobody ever sees.
Angel absently notes there's more than one.
In the alley, the teens and vamps are fighting. A stake gun fired from the back of the pickup truck takes out one of the vamps just before he kills one of the kids while Gunn decapitates another.
Another vamp is dusted by the stake gun as it rushes the truck. One of the kids has his neck snapped by another vamp who then takes off running as yet another one behind him is dusted.
Another vamp jumps on the truck and attacks the kid manning the stake gun.
Alonna yells to warn the kid, calling his name, Bobby.
The vamp and Bobby go at it and just as the vamp is about to finish Bobby, Alonna attacks him. Gunn joins the fray and the vamp takes off.
Alonna tries to lift Bobby whose body is hanging halfway over the side of the bed of the truck. She asks Gunn for help. Between the two of them they pull Bobby into the truck bed.
Gunn yells for the driver to go. The truck is driven off.
The pickup is stopped in front of an old, abandoned building. Alonna and Gunn get Bobby inside as the others conceal the truck with a tarp.
Bobby is helped down some stairs, then lowered gently to the floor. Bobby is weakening.
Alonna tells Gunn Bobby needs a doctor.
Gunn looks down at Bobby who is now still, his eyes open, unseeing. He tells Alonna it doesn't matter anymore, Bobby is dead.
Gunn gets up and asks one of the others, James, about supplies.
James says he and another managed to steal some canned goods but they've picked up three additional mouths to feed. He told them they weren't invited.
Gunn says they won't be turned away.
Angel enters Madam Dorion's where there are many different types of demon females, sitting with customers.
The madam approaches Angel before he gets too far into the place and informs him they don't serve vampires there.
Angel lets her know he has other reasons for being there. He wants information.
Madam Dorion declines to assist him with that as well.
Angel shows her the photo of Lenny Edwards, he wants to know if she's familiar with the guy.
Madam Dorion doesn't intend to answer any questions as she ushers Angel toward the exit.
Angel tells her he appreciates her discretion but he wonders how her clients would feel knowing that one of them had been photographed at her establishment and was being blackmailed with the pictures.
He finally has the woman's attention.
Angel goes on to suggest it wouldn't be very good for her business but he can probably stop word from getting out if she'll tell him where he can find Lenny.
She asks who the woman was in the pictures.
Angel doesn't know, but tells her the client's name is David Nabbit.
She knows who he was with and calls the girl, Lina, over to them. She tells Angel to speak to her about it.
The demon girl, Lina, comes over and rubs her hand up and down Angel's chest, appreciating the view.
The Madam informs her he's a vampire.
Lina seems quite taken with Angel and thinks they can make an exception to the rule. She tells Angel as long as he doesn't morph into vamp face, she has no problem with it. She turns to face Madam Dorion, her back to Angel, holds both hands up in the air and teases, "look ma, no hands!"
At the sound of a zipper being undone, Angel suddenly looks down, startled, and grabs Lina's tail.
The Madam informs Lina that is not the reason Angel is there.
Lina sighs as she realizes this. Her tail, which was standing at perky attention, goes limp as Angel continues to keep a grip on it.
He shows her the picture of Lenny and tells her he wants to find the guy. He suggests Madam Dorion would appreciate it if Lina told him what she knows.
Back at the abandoned building, Alonna is looking for her brother. She spots Gunn coming down the stairs, she wants to talk about what happened to Bobby.
Gunn doesn't see anything to be talked about, Bobby is dead.
Alonna doesn't think it had to be that way, she thinks her brother is getting careless.
Gunn doesn't agree, he says he does what's necessary.
Alonna isn't so sure. She points out they went several weeks without any incidents but then he had to tempt fate that way. She believes he likes living life on the edge.
Gunn denies it.
Alonna doesn't want to be right, she loves her brother and doesn't want him to die, but she believes what she says is true.
Gunn takes her hand and promises his sister that he isn't going to die.
Two of Gunn's gang come down the stairs. Gunn wants to know if they found the vamps that got away.
One of the boys, "Chain", tells him they followed one of the vamps to the nest. It's located close by, next to an old factory.
Gunn is pleased with the news. He's ready to hit the nest and inflict some pain.
Another kid comes rushing down the stairs carrying a loaded crossbow. He tells Gunn something's coming, moving quickly and traversing the buildings by jumping from roof to roof.
Gunn asks Chain if he was followed.
Chain is sure he wasn't.
Gunn wants to check things out. They all head up the steps.
Lenny starts to get into his car when Angel approaches him from behind. Lenny wants to know what he wants.
Angel says he wants a lot of things that he's never going to get and points out to Lenny that he won't be getting much either if he doesn't give Angel what he wants, the photos of David Nabbit at Madam Dorion's.
Lenny plays dumb, he doesn't know what Angel is talking about.
Gunn and his gang are watching the goings on from a short distance away, from behind an iron grate.
Lenny pats Angel on the shoulder and observes that he must be new in town. He assures Angel he doesn't want to see Lenny's "bad side."
Angel morphs into vamp face, offering to show Lenny his bad side. He slams Lenny against the car and tells him he's taking over the territory now. He wants the photos of Nabbit and he will pursue Lenny for what will be his brief life if he doesn't get them. He wonders if Lenny understands the situation now.
Lenny doesn't say anything, just nods indicating he does understand.
Angel tells him he'll meet him tomorrow and gives Lenny a shove.
Lenny turns to open his car door, looks back briefly, Angel has disappeared.
Lenny jumps into his car and takes off.
Chain notes the new vampire in town.
Gunn says he won't be around for long.
Wes and Cordy are standing in front of a desk, David Nabbit is sitting behind it writing out a check. He figures it will cover their expenses up to this point and he appreciates what they did at the party.
Wesley doesn't understand what they did at the party for him to feel appreciative of.
Nabbit appreciates that they took the time to talk to him, spend some time with him, it meant a lot.Wesley points out that Nabbit had paid them to be there. Nabbit says he does that a lot, but not everyone takes the time to spend some time with him and he's grateful. He holds out the check, offering it to Wes and Cordy.
Cordy snaps it out of his hand, sees the amount and is visibly stunned. She shows the check to Wes who thinks there must be some mistake. Cordy is sure there isn't.
Nabbit says he believes people should be rewarded for good work, the amount isn't a mistake.
Wes reminds him that they haven't even finished with the job yet.
Nabbit says it's no big deal, it's only money and he has more than enough of that. He asks them to please address him by his first name, David.
Cordelia gushes over what a masculine name David is as Nabbit grins shyly and Wes offers her an "oh, please" kind of look.
Wes assures Nabbit that he won't be disappointed in their work as he and Cordelia bid Nabbit farewell and leave.
Lenny is sitting on the hood of his car, clutching a large envelope, scanning the area.
Angel appears, seemingly out of nowhere. Lenny is a bit startled by the suddenness of his appearance. Angel wants to know if Lenny brought the blackmail photos with him.
Lenny says he brought them, along with something else.
A large, nasty looking demon shows up. It hits Angel, sending him flying backwards through the air several feet.
Lenny is enjoying the show. The demon seems at least an equal match in strength to Angel. As the demon slams Angel down on the car, Lenny wonders if Nabbit paid Angel enough to make it worth it.
As Angel and the demon continue to fight, Angel is thrown into Lenny, causing him to drop the envelope. Angel grabs it, puts it inside his coat and makes a run for it. When he gets to a lamp post, he grabs it, swings himself in the air around it and kicks the pursuing demon with both feet.
They continue to fight, the demon gets Angel in a bear hug, lifts him off the ground and attempts to crush his spine. Angel finally manages to work himself into a position to snap the demon's neck, dropping it to the ground.
Lenny takes off running while Angel drops to the ground on one knee, clearly spent from the fight.
Before he has any chance to recover, his shoulder is pierced by a wooden stake that enters from the back and partially protrudes through the front. Angel grabs hold of the front end of the stake and looks back to see Gunn and his gang in their pickup truck closing in.
Angel gets up and pulls the stake out of his shoulder, tossing it aside as he runs from the pursuing truck. As he runs, he grabs whatever is loose in his path and tosses it in front of the oncoming truck, forcing it to swiftly change direction frequently, messing up the aim of the stake gunner.
He spots a warehouse door that's open part way, drops to the ground and rolls through the opening. Once inside, he gets up and pauses a minute, leaning against the door to the outside attempting to regain some strength. Once again, he gets no time to recover as large wooden stakes mounted on the front of the pickup truck crash through the wall, just missing him.
He takes off running further into the warehouse. He steps on a plate on the floor, releasing a board studded with stakes from the ceiling. Angel barely avoids getting hit by it.
A kid armed with a stake jumps him. Angel grabs the kid, gets the stake from him and tosses him over his head onto the floor. The kid is on his back on the floor looking up at Angel who has the stake raised over the kid's chest.
Angel drops the stake and takes off running, leaving the kid stunned that he's still alive.
Further into the warehouse, Angel's leg snags a tripwire that releases a storm of arrows. Angel has to dodge the gauntlet of arrows flying at him from all directions as he runs down the hallway.
After he manages to get through the latest trap, he is attacked from all directions by Gunn and his gang. He fights one on one for a while, then grabs Alonna and uses her as a shield from further attacks.
Gunn yells for his gang to stop.
Angel wants to know what kind of game they're playing.
Gunn assures him it's no game.
Angel tells them they're only going to get themselves killed.
Gunn thinks they'll kill Angel first.
Chain wants Angel dusted now.
Realizing Alonna is in danger in the position of his shield, Angel pushes her away from him. As she is thrown across the room, she triggers a tripwire that releases a metal arrow headed straight for her.
Angel puts his hand between Alonna and the path of the arrow causing the arrow to embed in his palm, saving Alonna.
Angel grimaces as he pulls the arrow out of his hand. Gunn and his gang look on, not quite sure what to make of what they've just seen. Angel's thinking they aren't very fond of him.
Gunn wonders if Angel is going to pretend that he's different from the rest of the vamps.
Angel says he'll also pretend he didn't just keep Alonna from getting killed. He knows Gunn and friends have put a lot of work into their efforts, he thinks they have some good ideas and says he could offer some suggestions to make things better.
Gunn doesn't want to listen.
Angel thinks he should. He wonders who Gunn thought that arrow headed for Alonna was going to kill. He says they're on the same side, he didn't come there to bring them any harm.
Gunn lowers the crossbow he's been aiming at Angel and moves closer to him. He doesn't care why Angel is there, he assures him if he sees him there again, he'll kill him.
Gunn and his crew leave as Angel sits down on top of a barrel, grimacing in pain.
Back at the office, Wes brings the photos Angel retrieved from Lenny over to where Cordelia is bandaging Angel. Angel is sitting on the edge of the desk, Wes sits next to him, looking at the photos. Wes is sure Nabbit will be glad to know they were able to get the photos back.
Wes is clearly amazed by what he's seeing in one of the photos as he stares at it. Angel points out that he's looking at it upside down. Wes turns the photo right side up as both he and Angel stare at it.
Cordelia asks how it feels, to which Wesley (without looking up from the photo) replies that he wouldn't think it felt very comfortable.
Cordelia clarifies that she was asking Angel how he felt. Angel and Wes both look at her. Wes puts the photos down.
Angel tells her it's better as he pulls his shirt on with some difficulty and obvious discomfort.
Cordy thinks Angel looks like he could use some rest but he wants to find Gunn and his gang. He tells Wes and Cordy that he thinks they're homeless, probably living together someplace.
Wes asks how many there are.
Angel offers six, seven, maybe more. He thinks a couple of them aren't even sixteen.
Cordy finds it remarkable that so near to the rich and famous, these kids are involved in a war.
Angel notes that it's obvious they've been doing this for awhile, this wasn't a first battle with vampires for them. He thinks they've been forced into their current situation.
Cordy finds it understandable that they wouldn't trust Angel, having dealt with vamps for awhile they'd not likely be inclined to believe one actually wanted to help them.
Angel thinks they're in too deep and will only end up getting themselves killed. He figures there must be a vampire nest in the area where he encountered the kids. He directs Wesley to find out where they are living.
Wes agrees.
Angel is off to find the vampire nest before Gunn and his gang do. He grimaces as he pulls on his coat, still in obvious pain. He figures the nest will have to be a building with access from the sewer tunnels. He gets into the elevator and before leaving, asks Cordy to show him Nabbit's check one more time.
In a cavernous building which is serving as the vampire's nest, the leader, Knox, is lamenting the decline of the neighborhood. They've been there for 70 years, the place was populated by middle class working people and now it's gone to hell. He says it's their own fault for letting it happen, for getting lazy and not paying attention to business.
He singles out the vamp that ran from Gunn and his crew, Ty, and asks if he's ever been tricked into an ambush before.
Ty shakes his head no.
Knox tells the other vamps that Ty has been around nearly as long as he has and he's survived because of his smarts. But, he points out, as smart as Ty is, Gunn and his gang were able to trick him and ambush him along with those who accompanied him. Knox reckons if they can fool someone with the street smarts Ty has, they could do it to any of them.
He pulls out a stake and stabs Ty in the heart with it, dusting him.
Knox says the street gang isn't afraid to "go for the heart" so that will be their approach now as well. No more taking them one at a time, he intends to go for the "heart" of the gang knowing that with the heart gone, the rest falls with it.
At the building housing Gunn and his crew, Alonna is trying to convince him that Angel could be useful to them.
Chain doesn't agree.
Alonna points out that Angel didn't have to do what he did in saving her. She thinks he's different from other vamps somehow.
Chain thinks he only helped Alonna because he knew they would have killed him if something happened to her.
Gunn isn't sure either way, he only knows that he isn't comfortable with the thought of working with him.
Alonna says he doesn't have to trust Angel, just consider the possibility that he could be useful to them.
Gunn doesn't think it makes sense. He wonders what it is Angel wanted and if he wasn't looking to do some killing, why was he in that part of town.
Angel enters the vampire nest carrying a stake. The building is now empty except for one vamp who's hiding on top of some pipes running along the ceiling.
The vamp drops from the ceiling, intending to jump Angel but Angel has already sensed him and leisurely steps aside causing the vamp to slam down onto the floor.
Angel yanks him up and throws him against the wall. He wants to know where the others are.
At Gunn's place, Alonna offers her brother some food as he checks out the stake gun. She tells him that a couple of the kids stole some stuff from a market, no cops chased them this time, they got away without being noticed.
Gunn declines her offer, saying he's not hungry.
Something catches Gunn's attention.
Alonna asks what's going on.
Gunn tells her to get everyone out.
Alonna still doesn't understand what's happening.
Gunn doesn't have time for explanations, he tells her to just do what he says and do it now.
Before Alonna can warn the others, a smoke canister comes through a window. Gunn grabs a sword and directs the others to get out into the sun.
One of the kids asks Gunn if vamps are coming in. He doesn't understand how they can since they haven't been invited to enter. Chain wonders if it's cops. Gunn doesn't know.
Alonna is yelling at others running up the stairs to hurry.
Chain tells Gunn he doesn't see anybody. Gunn suddenly realizes what's going on as he runs up the stairs after the others, yelling for his sister.
As Alonna comes into the alley outside of the building, a van drives up. A guy covered from head to foot, wearing a gas mask, grabs her.
Gunn yells for Alonna. She yells for him to help her as she's pulled into the back of the van. The doors slam shut just as Gunn gets to it.
As the van drives off, Gunn jumps onto the back bumper. As he looks through the windows in the back of the van, he sees two vamps feeding on his sister. One of the vamps smashes his fist through the window, shoving Gunn off of the van.
Cordelia and Wesley are checking out the neighborhood, in Angel's car, looking for something to lead them to where Gunn and his gang are staying.
Wesley figures the gang must have electricity and for that, they would have to have an illegal tap into the power lines. He figures if he can find where that tap is, that will tell them where they are staying. He suggests Cordelia go over to a homeless man who is pushing a shopping cart down the alley and ask him if he's seen any kids fitting the descriptions of Gunn or his gang. While she's doing that, Wes will check the power lines for taps.
Cordy isn't thrilled about the task, but she'll do it.
Angel grabs one of the gang kids who's on watch, James, and tells him to invite him in.
Inside, Gunn and the rest of the crew are preparing for a fight.
Angel enters, shoving James ahead of him. Angel tells Gunn that people are going to die.
Gunn looks at James who admits he's not much of a guard dog.
Gunn tells Angel he shouldn't be there.
Angel tells him that the vamps expect Gunn and company to come after them, they'll be ready.
Gunn doesn't want advice from Angel, he figures he has no idea what he's talking about anyway since he can't know what it's like to live the day to day life he and the others do.
Angel tells him again that some, maybe all, of his friends will die.
Chain, who is armed with a flame-thrower, says that's the way it is, people die, sometimes just for not knowing when to shut up.
Angel tells Gunn he can help them unless they have a death wish, they'll have to indulge that by themselves.
Gunn isn't interested in help, they've always done things on their own.
Angel says that's not how it has to be and wonders why they can't work together on this.
Gunn yanks a rope that's attached to a piece of material covering the window, allowing the sun to stream in. As Angel moves away from the light, Gunn shoves him into an old meat locker and shuts the door.
Angel tries to get the door open, but it's locked tight.
Gunn and the others head out.
It's now night as the pickup arrives in front of the building housing the vampires' nest.
Gunn tells Chain to give him ten minutes to scope out the area and if he's not back in ten, they should come in and "kill anything that moves."
Gunn walks into the building, stake poised at the ready. He stops as he hears someone humming. He calls his sister's name.
Alonna comes into the room and greets him.
Gunn walks up to her, relieved at first, then notices there are no fang marks on her neck. He realizes she's been vamped.
Alonna comforts him, he shouldn't be sad about it, she's not. She's better than ever now and she likes it. As proof, she laughs as she gives Gunn a shove that sends him flying across the room.
Angel is still trapped in the meat locker. He looks around, searching for a way out then continues banging away at the door in an effort to dislodge it, but to no avail.
Realizing that isn't going to work, he changes tactics and starts punching away at the wall beside the door which eventually gives way, opening up a hole large enough for him to get his hand through.
Back at the vampire nest, Alonna tells Gunn they had the right idea but they were on the wrong side. On the vamp side, the anger and hatred is still there but there's no guilt, there's only hunting and killing, only "fun." She doesn't figure she's missing much since they weren't into sun bathing anyway. She tells Gunn he'll enjoy the new life.
Gunn is distraught. He feels responsible for what's happened to his sister, guilty that he didn't protect her. He speaks of her in the past tense.
Alonna reminds him that she's still his sister.
Gunn shakes his head no.
Alonna wonders why he doesn't just stake her then. She spreads her arms wide and dares him to do it.
Gunn just looks at her.
Alonna figures he can't do it because guilt stops him. She's willing to cure him of the guilt problem and tells him they can remain together forever.
Angel puts his hand through the hole he punched in the wall, but can't quite reach the the door handle on the outside.
The door to the meat locker is opened from the outside, revealing Wesley and Cordelia. Cordy, ever masterful of the obvious, points out that the gang locked Angel in.
Angel sarcastically responds that he just has a fondness for old meat lockers.
Wesley points out that Angel could have just called them on his cell phone, but he figures Angel didn't remember having it.
Angel pulls the cell phone from his pocket, obviously he did forget, and tries to cover by saying that they hardly ever work and besides, as the boss he decides when they use the cell phones. He says the kids are going to get themselves killed, he has to get to them.
He walks up the stairs as Cordy calls after him, "You're welcome!"
Back at the vamp nest, Alonna reminds Gunn of their time as kids living in a shelter. The place was in bad shape, the floors were rotted in places. She says he was the best at crossing those rotted places high above the lower floor because he had courage. She wanted to be like him but when she tried it, the floor gave way and it was Gunn who caught her because he always took care of her. She tells him he doesn't have to do that anymore. She wants to take care of him now.
Gunn isn't sure what she means.
Alonna points out that living in abandoned buildings, stealing to eat, never being warm enough or having enough food isn't exactly living. She says she can help him, she can make it all better. She morphs into vamp face and tells him to bid farewell to the life he knows. She reaches her arm around his neck and leans in to bite him.
Gunn quietly tells her "good-bye" as he shoves the stake into her chest. She stares at him, disbelieving for an instant, then turns to dust.
As Alonna disappears, a figure that had been standing in the distance behind her becomes clear in the shadows. It's Angel. He tells Gunn they need to get out of there.
The door behind Gunn opens as his gang rushes in. Gunn drops the stake to the ground.
Chain, armed with the flame-thrower, wants to know what's going on. He sees Angel and makes a move toward him.
Gunn restrains him from going further. He tells Chain they are leaving.
Chain doesn't understand why.
Suddenly the rest of the vampires enter as well. Gunn and his gang are surrounded.
Knox steps out and taunts Gunn about having turned his sister. He tells him Gunn wanted a war, now he's got one.
Angel speaks up from behind Knox, offering the vamps a deal. He tells them they can leave.
Knox turns to see who's speaking.
Angel goes on to clarify the offer he's making. The vamps can live if they leave LA, never to return.
Knox laughs. He wonders if Angel is on drugs.
Angel ignores him and tells the others that LA is his territory now, they should leave and never come back. Gunn and his crew are to be left alone.
Knox wonders who Angel thinks he is.
Angel tells him his name, Angelus, then stakes Knox and says that the offer wasn't being made to him. He asks the other vamps if they agree to the offer of a truce or would they rather die.
The vamps look at each other uncomfortably.
Chain thinks they can take the vamps.
Angel points out that they won't be able to do that without some of them dying as well.
Chain still wants to kill some vampires. He asks Gunn if they've come all this way for nothing, they aren't going to make any kills?
Gunn tells him quietly that he "already did." He turns to go and is followed by his crew. The vamps also head out.
Wes takes a cup of coffee from a street vendor and disdainfully ponders the mound of whipped cream heaped on top. He's sure there must be some coffee in there somewhere. He asks Cordy if things are okay, he's noticed she hasn't said much since they left Nabbit's office.
Cordy was thinking about Gunn and his gang, living under the conditions they do. She finds it difficult to accept people have to live like that.
They take a seat on a park bench.
Wesley notes it certainly offers perspective as he pulls the straw out of his coffee, sweeps it across the top of the cup, through the mound of whipped cream and flips it to the grass.
Cordelia thinks she might be willing to "prostitute" herself to David Nabbit.
Wesley is shocked by her comment and nearly chokes on his coffee.
Cordy explains that Nabbit seems like a decent sort who's just lonely and she'd like some security.
Wes wonders if she could really do that.
Cordelia isn't sure, she thinks she might be able to learn to love him in spite of the fact the looks aren't there, or the chemistry, or personality or any of the other things that generally matter to her. She basically talks herself out of it and tells Wes to forget it, she's fine as she is, "poor and alone."
It's night, Gunn is standing on an upper floor of an abandoned building, overlooking the city. Angel appears beside him.
Gunn wants to know what he's doing there.
Angel says he's "skulking, professionally."
Gunn tells him he appreciates what Angel did but he doesn't need anybody looking after him and he doesn't want any lectures.
Angel has nothing to say.
Gunn is surprised Angel didn't plan on playing father figure.
Angel wonders what he could possibly say to Gunn that he hasn't already learned through experience.
Gunn feels guilty for killing Alonna.
Angel tells him he didn't kill her.
Gunn still feels the blame is his. Alonna was the reason he did what he did, the one he did it for. He wonders why Angel does what he does.
Angel says there isn't much else for him to do. He tells Gunn he'll be around.
Gunn says he doesn't need any help.
Angel tells him that he [Angel] may need some sometime.
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| Written by: Garry Campbell | Original Air Date: May 9, 2000 |
A young African-American girl, Alonna, walks down an alley in a rundown part of town. She looks nervous as she glances back over her shoulder every once in a while and picks up the pace, walking faster. She's being followed by three vampires.
The girl comes to a dead end, stops and turns to face her pursuers. The sound of footsteps and a vehicle behind the vamps gets their attention. One of them turns to look at the source of the sounds. The vampire seems to recognize one of the new arrivals.
We see a pair of black shoes, black pants, a sword and a long black coat. The obvious assumption is that it's Angel, but when we see the man's face, it's that of a young African-American man, Charles Gunn.
A pickup truck pulls up behind him and another boy, armed with a loaded crossbow, steps alongside him.
Wes, Cordy and Angel enter a posh house where a party is going on. Cordelia is immediately onto the scent of something she finds invigorating.
Wesley offers his opinion that it's Camembert.
Cordelia corrects him, it's money she's smelling, she likes it.
Angel tells Wes it's no joke and suggests he try hiding some cash in the office sometime just to see Cordelia's reaction.
Cordelia points out a man in a plaid shirt, sitting off in the corner. She calls to him, addressing him as Mr. Nabbit.
Nabbit greets her as he and Cordy shake hands. Nabbit thanks them for coming.
Angel thanks him for inviting them.
Nabbit doesn't know who any of them are.
Cordelia tells him her name and reminds him that she spoke to him on the phone.
Nabbit remembers now. He assumes Angel's identity correctly as he shakes hands with everyone again.
Angel introduces Wesley.
Cordelia is distracted by the sight of one of the guests. She wonders if it's "Welling Harding".
Nabbit doesn't know. He says he doesn't know most of the people at his party, he doesn't really talk to them. They come to his parties, he thinks they enjoy themselves. He offers Cordy and company some hors d'oeuvres.
Angel wonders if the timing is a bit off and offers that they can come back at another time if that's the case.
Nabbit says Cordy told him that Angel could only conduct business meetings at night and she thought they'd be less conspicuous meeting during the party.
Angel gives Cordy a look. She grins uncomfortably and looks away.
Nabbit goes on to say he agrees that it was a good idea to meet in this setting since they're not likely to be interrupted. Nabbit seems nervous and uncomfortable. He tells them he always promised himself he'd become rich in the software business and learn how to talk to girls. He's accomplished the first of those goals but seems to be having some trouble with the second.
Angel inquires why he needs their services.
Nabbit admits it's a matter of blackmail. He wonders if Angel is familiar with "Dungeons and Dragons."
Angel says he's been around some, taking Nabbit literally.
Wesley is quick to jump in, clarifying Nabbit is referring to the game of D&D.
Angel looks at Wes. He understands the reference now.
Nabbit goes on to explain that he used to play D&D a lot, he liked the role playing aspects of becoming someone else, fighting demons, doing magic spells and romancing demon lovers.
Cordelia wonders if someone found out Nabbit was a "nerd."
He laughs and says they always knew that but some of the D&D players went a bit far with the game when it came to the demon lovers part. He says they heard about a place where they could gets some real demon action.
Wesley is familiar with the place, he offers up the name, "Madam Dorion's".
Nabbit says he was only there one time.
Angel looks up at Wesley, still not sure where this is going.
Nabbit admits he may have been there not once, but twice.
Wesley explains that Madam Dorion's is a demon brothel in Bel Air. He heard stories about it when he was with the Council.
Angel starts to ask Nabbit how many when Nabbit cuts him off and admits he'd been there 12 times.
Angel finishes his question and asks how many people knew he had been going there.
Nabbit says only his friends knew but his security people have already identified the blackmailer. He hands Angel a photo. He identifies the guy as "Lenny Edwards". He knows who he is, but they haven't been able to find him.
Angel puts the photo in his coat and tells Nabbit they'll look into it as he stands up.
Nabbit is concerned what will happen if his company's shareholders see the blackmail photos.
Angel assures him that won't happen.
Cordelia promises him they are very discreet. She thinks it would be best if they stayed at the party for awhile, so as not to arouse suspicion that they are anything but guests.
A young woman walks by and greets Nabbit by his first name, David.
He smiles and greets her back then, after she departs, admits to the others he has no idea who she is. He thought LA was all glitz and valet parking when he moved there but he realizes there's another world that nobody ever sees.
Angel absently notes there's more than one.
In the alley, the teens and vamps are fighting. A stake gun fired from the back of the pickup truck takes out one of the vamps just before he kills one of the kids while Gunn decapitates another.
Another vamp is dusted by the stake gun as it rushes the truck. One of the kids has his neck snapped by another vamp who then takes off running as yet another one behind him is dusted.
Another vamp jumps on the truck and attacks the kid manning the stake gun.
Alonna yells to warn the kid, calling his name, Bobby.
The vamp and Bobby go at it and just as the vamp is about to finish Bobby, Alonna attacks him. Gunn joins the fray and the vamp takes off.
Alonna tries to lift Bobby whose body is hanging halfway over the side of the bed of the truck. She asks Gunn for help. Between the two of them they pull Bobby into the truck bed.
Gunn yells for the driver to go. The truck is driven off.
The pickup is stopped in front of an old, abandoned building. Alonna and Gunn get Bobby inside as the others conceal the truck with a tarp.
Bobby is helped down some stairs, then lowered gently to the floor. Bobby is weakening.
Alonna tells Gunn Bobby needs a doctor.
Gunn looks down at Bobby who is now still, his eyes open, unseeing. He tells Alonna it doesn't matter anymore, Bobby is dead.
Gunn gets up and asks one of the others, James, about supplies.
James says he and another managed to steal some canned goods but they've picked up three additional mouths to feed. He told them they weren't invited.
Gunn says they won't be turned away.
Angel enters Madam Dorion's where there are many different types of demon females, sitting with customers.
The madam approaches Angel before he gets too far into the place and informs him they don't serve vampires there.
Angel lets her know he has other reasons for being there. He wants information.
Madam Dorion declines to assist him with that as well.
Angel shows her the photo of Lenny Edwards, he wants to know if she's familiar with the guy.
Madam Dorion doesn't intend to answer any questions as she ushers Angel toward the exit.
Angel tells her he appreciates her discretion but he wonders how her clients would feel knowing that one of them had been photographed at her establishment and was being blackmailed with the pictures.
He finally has the woman's attention.
Angel goes on to suggest it wouldn't be very good for her business but he can probably stop word from getting out if she'll tell him where he can find Lenny.
She asks who the woman was in the pictures.
Angel doesn't know, but tells her the client's name is David Nabbit.
She knows who he was with and calls the girl, Lina, over to them. She tells Angel to speak to her about it.
The demon girl, Lina, comes over and rubs her hand up and down Angel's chest, appreciating the view.
The Madam informs her he's a vampire.
Lina seems quite taken with Angel and thinks they can make an exception to the rule. She tells Angel as long as he doesn't morph into vamp face, she has no problem with it. She turns to face Madam Dorion, her back to Angel, holds both hands up in the air and teases, "look ma, no hands!"
At the sound of a zipper being undone, Angel suddenly looks down, startled, and grabs Lina's tail.
The Madam informs Lina that is not the reason Angel is there.
Lina sighs as she realizes this. Her tail, which was standing at perky attention, goes limp as Angel continues to keep a grip on it.
He shows her the picture of Lenny and tells her he wants to find the guy. He suggests Madam Dorion would appreciate it if Lina told him what she knows.
Back at the abandoned building, Alonna is looking for her brother. She spots Gunn coming down the stairs, she wants to talk about what happened to Bobby.
Gunn doesn't see anything to be talked about, Bobby is dead.
Alonna doesn't think it had to be that way, she thinks her brother is getting careless.
Gunn doesn't agree, he says he does what's necessary.
Alonna isn't so sure. She points out they went several weeks without any incidents but then he had to tempt fate that way. She believes he likes living life on the edge.
Gunn denies it.
Alonna doesn't want to be right, she loves her brother and doesn't want him to die, but she believes what she says is true.
Gunn takes her hand and promises his sister that he isn't going to die.
Two of Gunn's gang come down the stairs. Gunn wants to know if they found the vamps that got away.
One of the boys, "Chain", tells him they followed one of the vamps to the nest. It's located close by, next to an old factory.
Gunn is pleased with the news. He's ready to hit the nest and inflict some pain.
Another kid comes rushing down the stairs carrying a loaded crossbow. He tells Gunn something's coming, moving quickly and traversing the buildings by jumping from roof to roof.
Gunn asks Chain if he was followed.
Chain is sure he wasn't.
Gunn wants to check things out. They all head up the steps.
Lenny starts to get into his car when Angel approaches him from behind. Lenny wants to know what he wants.
Angel says he wants a lot of things that he's never going to get and points out to Lenny that he won't be getting much either if he doesn't give Angel what he wants, the photos of David Nabbit at Madam Dorion's.
Lenny plays dumb, he doesn't know what Angel is talking about.
Gunn and his gang are watching the goings on from a short distance away, from behind an iron grate.
Lenny pats Angel on the shoulder and observes that he must be new in town. He assures Angel he doesn't want to see Lenny's "bad side."
Angel morphs into vamp face, offering to show Lenny his bad side. He slams Lenny against the car and tells him he's taking over the territory now. He wants the photos of Nabbit and he will pursue Lenny for what will be his brief life if he doesn't get them. He wonders if Lenny understands the situation now.
Lenny doesn't say anything, just nods indicating he does understand.
Angel tells him he'll meet him tomorrow and gives Lenny a shove.
Lenny turns to open his car door, looks back briefly, Angel has disappeared.
Lenny jumps into his car and takes off.
Chain notes the new vampire in town.
Gunn says he won't be around for long.
Wes and Cordy are standing in front of a desk, David Nabbit is sitting behind it writing out a check. He figures it will cover their expenses up to this point and he appreciates what they did at the party.
Wesley doesn't understand what they did at the party for him to feel appreciative of.
Nabbit appreciates that they took the time to talk to him, spend some time with him, it meant a lot.Wesley points out that Nabbit had paid them to be there. Nabbit says he does that a lot, but not everyone takes the time to spend some time with him and he's grateful. He holds out the check, offering it to Wes and Cordy.
Cordy snaps it out of his hand, sees the amount and is visibly stunned. She shows the check to Wes who thinks there must be some mistake. Cordy is sure there isn't.
Nabbit says he believes people should be rewarded for good work, the amount isn't a mistake.
Wes reminds him that they haven't even finished with the job yet.
Nabbit says it's no big deal, it's only money and he has more than enough of that. He asks them to please address him by his first name, David.
Cordelia gushes over what a masculine name David is as Nabbit grins shyly and Wes offers her an "oh, please" kind of look.
Wes assures Nabbit that he won't be disappointed in their work as he and Cordelia bid Nabbit farewell and leave.
Lenny is sitting on the hood of his car, clutching a large envelope, scanning the area.
Angel appears, seemingly out of nowhere. Lenny is a bit startled by the suddenness of his appearance. Angel wants to know if Lenny brought the blackmail photos with him.
Lenny says he brought them, along with something else.
A large, nasty looking demon shows up. It hits Angel, sending him flying backwards through the air several feet.
Lenny is enjoying the show. The demon seems at least an equal match in strength to Angel. As the demon slams Angel down on the car, Lenny wonders if Nabbit paid Angel enough to make it worth it.
As Angel and the demon continue to fight, Angel is thrown into Lenny, causing him to drop the envelope. Angel grabs it, puts it inside his coat and makes a run for it. When he gets to a lamp post, he grabs it, swings himself in the air around it and kicks the pursuing demon with both feet.
They continue to fight, the demon gets Angel in a bear hug, lifts him off the ground and attempts to crush his spine. Angel finally manages to work himself into a position to snap the demon's neck, dropping it to the ground.
Lenny takes off running while Angel drops to the ground on one knee, clearly spent from the fight.
Before he has any chance to recover, his shoulder is pierced by a wooden stake that enters from the back and partially protrudes through the front. Angel grabs hold of the front end of the stake and looks back to see Gunn and his gang in their pickup truck closing in.
Angel gets up and pulls the stake out of his shoulder, tossing it aside as he runs from the pursuing truck. As he runs, he grabs whatever is loose in his path and tosses it in front of the oncoming truck, forcing it to swiftly change direction frequently, messing up the aim of the stake gunner.
He spots a warehouse door that's open part way, drops to the ground and rolls through the opening. Once inside, he gets up and pauses a minute, leaning against the door to the outside attempting to regain some strength. Once again, he gets no time to recover as large wooden stakes mounted on the front of the pickup truck crash through the wall, just missing him.
He takes off running further into the warehouse. He steps on a plate on the floor, releasing a board studded with stakes from the ceiling. Angel barely avoids getting hit by it.
A kid armed with a stake jumps him. Angel grabs the kid, gets the stake from him and tosses him over his head onto the floor. The kid is on his back on the floor looking up at Angel who has the stake raised over the kid's chest.
Angel drops the stake and takes off running, leaving the kid stunned that he's still alive.
Further into the warehouse, Angel's leg snags a tripwire that releases a storm of arrows. Angel has to dodge the gauntlet of arrows flying at him from all directions as he runs down the hallway.
After he manages to get through the latest trap, he is attacked from all directions by Gunn and his gang. He fights one on one for a while, then grabs Alonna and uses her as a shield from further attacks.
Gunn yells for his gang to stop.
Angel wants to know what kind of game they're playing.
Gunn assures him it's no game.
Angel tells them they're only going to get themselves killed.
Gunn thinks they'll kill Angel first.
Chain wants Angel dusted now.
Realizing Alonna is in danger in the position of his shield, Angel pushes her away from him. As she is thrown across the room, she triggers a tripwire that releases a metal arrow headed straight for her.
Angel puts his hand between Alonna and the path of the arrow causing the arrow to embed in his palm, saving Alonna.
Angel grimaces as he pulls the arrow out of his hand. Gunn and his gang look on, not quite sure what to make of what they've just seen. Angel's thinking they aren't very fond of him.
Gunn wonders if Angel is going to pretend that he's different from the rest of the vamps.
Angel says he'll also pretend he didn't just keep Alonna from getting killed. He knows Gunn and friends have put a lot of work into their efforts, he thinks they have some good ideas and says he could offer some suggestions to make things better.
Gunn doesn't want to listen.
Angel thinks he should. He wonders who Gunn thought that arrow headed for Alonna was going to kill. He says they're on the same side, he didn't come there to bring them any harm.
Gunn lowers the crossbow he's been aiming at Angel and moves closer to him. He doesn't care why Angel is there, he assures him if he sees him there again, he'll kill him.
Gunn and his crew leave as Angel sits down on top of a barrel, grimacing in pain.
Back at the office, Wes brings the photos Angel retrieved from Lenny over to where Cordelia is bandaging Angel. Angel is sitting on the edge of the desk, Wes sits next to him, looking at the photos. Wes is sure Nabbit will be glad to know they were able to get the photos back.
Wes is clearly amazed by what he's seeing in one of the photos as he stares at it. Angel points out that he's looking at it upside down. Wes turns the photo right side up as both he and Angel stare at it.
Cordelia asks how it feels, to which Wesley (without looking up from the photo) replies that he wouldn't think it felt very comfortable.
Cordelia clarifies that she was asking Angel how he felt. Angel and Wes both look at her. Wes puts the photos down.
Angel tells her it's better as he pulls his shirt on with some difficulty and obvious discomfort.
Cordy thinks Angel looks like he could use some rest but he wants to find Gunn and his gang. He tells Wes and Cordy that he thinks they're homeless, probably living together someplace.
Wes asks how many there are.
Angel offers six, seven, maybe more. He thinks a couple of them aren't even sixteen.
Cordy finds it remarkable that so near to the rich and famous, these kids are involved in a war.
Angel notes that it's obvious they've been doing this for awhile, this wasn't a first battle with vampires for them. He thinks they've been forced into their current situation.
Cordy finds it understandable that they wouldn't trust Angel, having dealt with vamps for awhile they'd not likely be inclined to believe one actually wanted to help them.
Angel thinks they're in too deep and will only end up getting themselves killed. He figures there must be a vampire nest in the area where he encountered the kids. He directs Wesley to find out where they are living.
Wes agrees.
Angel is off to find the vampire nest before Gunn and his gang do. He grimaces as he pulls on his coat, still in obvious pain. He figures the nest will have to be a building with access from the sewer tunnels. He gets into the elevator and before leaving, asks Cordy to show him Nabbit's check one more time.
In a cavernous building which is serving as the vampire's nest, the leader, Knox, is lamenting the decline of the neighborhood. They've been there for 70 years, the place was populated by middle class working people and now it's gone to hell. He says it's their own fault for letting it happen, for getting lazy and not paying attention to business.
He singles out the vamp that ran from Gunn and his crew, Ty, and asks if he's ever been tricked into an ambush before.
Ty shakes his head no.
Knox tells the other vamps that Ty has been around nearly as long as he has and he's survived because of his smarts. But, he points out, as smart as Ty is, Gunn and his gang were able to trick him and ambush him along with those who accompanied him. Knox reckons if they can fool someone with the street smarts Ty has, they could do it to any of them.
He pulls out a stake and stabs Ty in the heart with it, dusting him.
Knox says the street gang isn't afraid to "go for the heart" so that will be their approach now as well. No more taking them one at a time, he intends to go for the "heart" of the gang knowing that with the heart gone, the rest falls with it.
At the building housing Gunn and his crew, Alonna is trying to convince him that Angel could be useful to them.
Chain doesn't agree.
Alonna points out that Angel didn't have to do what he did in saving her. She thinks he's different from other vamps somehow.
Chain thinks he only helped Alonna because he knew they would have killed him if something happened to her.
Gunn isn't sure either way, he only knows that he isn't comfortable with the thought of working with him.
Alonna says he doesn't have to trust Angel, just consider the possibility that he could be useful to them.
Gunn doesn't think it makes sense. He wonders what it is Angel wanted and if he wasn't looking to do some killing, why was he in that part of town.
Angel enters the vampire nest carrying a stake. The building is now empty except for one vamp who's hiding on top of some pipes running along the ceiling.
The vamp drops from the ceiling, intending to jump Angel but Angel has already sensed him and leisurely steps aside causing the vamp to slam down onto the floor.
Angel yanks him up and throws him against the wall. He wants to know where the others are.
At Gunn's place, Alonna offers her brother some food as he checks out the stake gun. She tells him that a couple of the kids stole some stuff from a market, no cops chased them this time, they got away without being noticed.
Gunn declines her offer, saying he's not hungry.
Something catches Gunn's attention.
Alonna asks what's going on.
Gunn tells her to get everyone out.
Alonna still doesn't understand what's happening.
Gunn doesn't have time for explanations, he tells her to just do what he says and do it now.
Before Alonna can warn the others, a smoke canister comes through a window. Gunn grabs a sword and directs the others to get out into the sun.
One of the kids asks Gunn if vamps are coming in. He doesn't understand how they can since they haven't been invited to enter. Chain wonders if it's cops. Gunn doesn't know.
Alonna is yelling at others running up the stairs to hurry.
Chain tells Gunn he doesn't see anybody. Gunn suddenly realizes what's going on as he runs up the stairs after the others, yelling for his sister.
As Alonna comes into the alley outside of the building, a van drives up. A guy covered from head to foot, wearing a gas mask, grabs her.
Gunn yells for Alonna. She yells for him to help her as she's pulled into the back of the van. The doors slam shut just as Gunn gets to it.
As the van drives off, Gunn jumps onto the back bumper. As he looks through the windows in the back of the van, he sees two vamps feeding on his sister. One of the vamps smashes his fist through the window, shoving Gunn off of the van.
Cordelia and Wesley are checking out the neighborhood, in Angel's car, looking for something to lead them to where Gunn and his gang are staying.
Wesley figures the gang must have electricity and for that, they would have to have an illegal tap into the power lines. He figures if he can find where that tap is, that will tell them where they are staying. He suggests Cordelia go over to a homeless man who is pushing a shopping cart down the alley and ask him if he's seen any kids fitting the descriptions of Gunn or his gang. While she's doing that, Wes will check the power lines for taps.
Cordy isn't thrilled about the task, but she'll do it.
Angel grabs one of the gang kids who's on watch, James, and tells him to invite him in.
Inside, Gunn and the rest of the crew are preparing for a fight.
Angel enters, shoving James ahead of him. Angel tells Gunn that people are going to die.
Gunn looks at James who admits he's not much of a guard dog.
Gunn tells Angel he shouldn't be there.
Angel tells him that the vamps expect Gunn and company to come after them, they'll be ready.
Gunn doesn't want advice from Angel, he figures he has no idea what he's talking about anyway since he can't know what it's like to live the day to day life he and the others do.
Angel tells him again that some, maybe all, of his friends will die.
Chain, who is armed with a flame-thrower, says that's the way it is, people die, sometimes just for not knowing when to shut up.
Angel tells Gunn he can help them unless they have a death wish, they'll have to indulge that by themselves.
Gunn isn't interested in help, they've always done things on their own.
Angel says that's not how it has to be and wonders why they can't work together on this.
Gunn yanks a rope that's attached to a piece of material covering the window, allowing the sun to stream in. As Angel moves away from the light, Gunn shoves him into an old meat locker and shuts the door.
Angel tries to get the door open, but it's locked tight.
Gunn and the others head out.
It's now night as the pickup arrives in front of the building housing the vampires' nest.
Gunn tells Chain to give him ten minutes to scope out the area and if he's not back in ten, they should come in and "kill anything that moves."
Gunn walks into the building, stake poised at the ready. He stops as he hears someone humming. He calls his sister's name.
Alonna comes into the room and greets him.
Gunn walks up to her, relieved at first, then notices there are no fang marks on her neck. He realizes she's been vamped.
Alonna comforts him, he shouldn't be sad about it, she's not. She's better than ever now and she likes it. As proof, she laughs as she gives Gunn a shove that sends him flying across the room.
Angel is still trapped in the meat locker. He looks around, searching for a way out then continues banging away at the door in an effort to dislodge it, but to no avail.
Realizing that isn't going to work, he changes tactics and starts punching away at the wall beside the door which eventually gives way, opening up a hole large enough for him to get his hand through.
Back at the vampire nest, Alonna tells Gunn they had the right idea but they were on the wrong side. On the vamp side, the anger and hatred is still there but there's no guilt, there's only hunting and killing, only "fun." She doesn't figure she's missing much since they weren't into sun bathing anyway. She tells Gunn he'll enjoy the new life.
Gunn is distraught. He feels responsible for what's happened to his sister, guilty that he didn't protect her. He speaks of her in the past tense.
Alonna reminds him that she's still his sister.
Gunn shakes his head no.
Alonna wonders why he doesn't just stake her then. She spreads her arms wide and dares him to do it.
Gunn just looks at her.
Alonna figures he can't do it because guilt stops him. She's willing to cure him of the guilt problem and tells him they can remain together forever.
Angel puts his hand through the hole he punched in the wall, but can't quite reach the the door handle on the outside.
The door to the meat locker is opened from the outside, revealing Wesley and Cordelia. Cordy, ever masterful of the obvious, points out that the gang locked Angel in.
Angel sarcastically responds that he just has a fondness for old meat lockers.
Wesley points out that Angel could have just called them on his cell phone, but he figures Angel didn't remember having it.
Angel pulls the cell phone from his pocket, obviously he did forget, and tries to cover by saying that they hardly ever work and besides, as the boss he decides when they use the cell phones. He says the kids are going to get themselves killed, he has to get to them.
He walks up the stairs as Cordy calls after him, "You're welcome!"
Back at the vamp nest, Alonna reminds Gunn of their time as kids living in a shelter. The place was in bad shape, the floors were rotted in places. She says he was the best at crossing those rotted places high above the lower floor because he had courage. She wanted to be like him but when she tried it, the floor gave way and it was Gunn who caught her because he always took care of her. She tells him he doesn't have to do that anymore. She wants to take care of him now.
Gunn isn't sure what she means.
Alonna points out that living in abandoned buildings, stealing to eat, never being warm enough or having enough food isn't exactly living. She says she can help him, she can make it all better. She morphs into vamp face and tells him to bid farewell to the life he knows. She reaches her arm around his neck and leans in to bite him.
Gunn quietly tells her "good-bye" as he shoves the stake into her chest. She stares at him, disbelieving for an instant, then turns to dust.
As Alonna disappears, a figure that had been standing in the distance behind her becomes clear in the shadows. It's Angel. He tells Gunn they need to get out of there.
The door behind Gunn opens as his gang rushes in. Gunn drops the stake to the ground.
Chain, armed with the flame-thrower, wants to know what's going on. He sees Angel and makes a move toward him.
Gunn restrains him from going further. He tells Chain they are leaving.
Chain doesn't understand why.
Suddenly the rest of the vampires enter as well. Gunn and his gang are surrounded.
Knox steps out and taunts Gunn about having turned his sister. He tells him Gunn wanted a war, now he's got one.
Angel speaks up from behind Knox, offering the vamps a deal. He tells them they can leave.
Knox turns to see who's speaking.
Angel goes on to clarify the offer he's making. The vamps can live if they leave LA, never to return.
Knox laughs. He wonders if Angel is on drugs.
Angel ignores him and tells the others that LA is his territory now, they should leave and never come back. Gunn and his crew are to be left alone.
Knox wonders who Angel thinks he is.
Angel tells him his name, Angelus, then stakes Knox and says that the offer wasn't being made to him. He asks the other vamps if they agree to the offer of a truce or would they rather die.
The vamps look at each other uncomfortably.
Chain thinks they can take the vamps.
Angel points out that they won't be able to do that without some of them dying as well.
Chain still wants to kill some vampires. He asks Gunn if they've come all this way for nothing, they aren't going to make any kills?
Gunn tells him quietly that he "already did." He turns to go and is followed by his crew. The vamps also head out.
Wes takes a cup of coffee from a street vendor and disdainfully ponders the mound of whipped cream heaped on top. He's sure there must be some coffee in there somewhere. He asks Cordy if things are okay, he's noticed she hasn't said much since they left Nabbit's office.
Cordy was thinking about Gunn and his gang, living under the conditions they do. She finds it difficult to accept people have to live like that.
They take a seat on a park bench.
Wesley notes it certainly offers perspective as he pulls the straw out of his coffee, sweeps it across the top of the cup, through the mound of whipped cream and flips it to the grass.
Cordelia thinks she might be willing to "prostitute" herself to David Nabbit.
Wesley is shocked by her comment and nearly chokes on his coffee.
Cordy explains that Nabbit seems like a decent sort who's just lonely and she'd like some security.
Wes wonders if she could really do that.
Cordelia isn't sure, she thinks she might be able to learn to love him in spite of the fact the looks aren't there, or the chemistry, or personality or any of the other things that generally matter to her. She basically talks herself out of it and tells Wes to forget it, she's fine as she is, "poor and alone."
It's night, Gunn is standing on an upper floor of an abandoned building, overlooking the city. Angel appears beside him.
Gunn wants to know what he's doing there.
Angel says he's "skulking, professionally."
Gunn tells him he appreciates what Angel did but he doesn't need anybody looking after him and he doesn't want any lectures.
Angel has nothing to say.
Gunn is surprised Angel didn't plan on playing father figure.
Angel wonders what he could possibly say to Gunn that he hasn't already learned through experience.
Gunn feels guilty for killing Alonna.
Angel tells him he didn't kill her.
Gunn still feels the blame is his. Alonna was the reason he did what he did, the one he did it for. He wonders why Angel does what he does.
Angel says there isn't much else for him to do. He tells Gunn he'll be around.
Gunn says he doesn't need any help.
Angel tells him that he [Angel] may need some sometime.
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