Previously on Angel:

Darla sees Liam for the first time - brawling at the pub.

Darla: "Who is he? - He's magnificent."

Darla turns Liam in the alley.

Darla: "I could show you, things you've never seen."

Shots the China flashback.

Darla: "We were together for a hundred and fifty years. - We shared everything."

Angelus and Darla trapped in the barn in France.

Angelus: "Who's this man Holtz?"

Darla: "A vampire hunter."

Angelus: "How does he keep finding us?"

Angelus bites Holtz wife.

Angelus: "We have message for your husband."

Angelus at Holtz mercy in Rome.

Holtz: "You remember Caroline?"

Angelus: "Pretty lass, hearty screamer?"

Sahjhan visits Holtz in England.

Sahjhan: "It'll be over two hundred years before you can find either Angelus or Darla. I want your word you will show them no mercy."

Angel sees human Darla in a crowed LA park for the first time.

Angel: "That's her. Darla. She's back."

Angel and Darla making out.

Darla: "God doesn't want you! But I still do."

Angel waking up after.

Darla: "You still have a soul!"

Angel stops Darla from staking him.

Angel: "Get dressed and get out."

Darla stand up from the barstool, hugely pregnant.

Angel: "This is impossible."

Darla: "Tell me about it - Daddy!"

Wes: "You're carrying a boy."

Darla: "Great."

Lilah to Linwood: "No one seems to know *how* Darla could be pregnant."

Wes: "The Nyazian Prophecies speak of a Tro-clon, that brings about the ruination of mankind."

Lilah: "The scroll it's recorded on, seems to be missing."

Darla having contractions in the backseat of the car.

Wes: "Her water's broken. This is for real."

W&H's commando enter the Hyperion.

Linwood: "We got to get this baby before anybody finds out."

Holtz walk into the Hyperion. Linwood sees him on the monitor.

Linwood: "I don't care who that man is. Take him out. Take him out now."

Angel walks into the carnage left in the lobby after the fight.

Holtz: "Angelus? - I've been looking for you."

Angel: "Holtz. - My god."

Holtz: "You have no god, demon."

Angel: "The Tro-clon - the prophecy - raised up from darkness to bring darkness. That's you. Holtz, whatever brought you here..."

Some of Holtz' gGapplar demons stand up and catch Angel's wrists and neck in some metal clamps on the ends of long sticks, holding him fast.

Holtz: "You did. - You and your demon bitch. - For two hundred years I slept. For two hundred years - I dreamt of nothing - (Lays a sword against Angel's throat) but this moment."

Angel: "Which would explain why you look so well rested."

Holtz pulls the sword back: "You haven't changed."

Angel: "Actually, I have. While you were sleeping, a lot changed."

Holtz: "Really?"

Holtz throws something at Angel's face (Holy water?), and his face morphs into vampface for a split second, then back to human.

Holtz: "Somehow things seem the same to me."

Angel: "You're wrong."

Holtz puts the sword tip against Angel's throat again: "I *will* have justice."

Angel: "No. - I don't think you will. - There is no justice for the things I did to you."

Holtz: "You didn't do them to me. And you didn't do them alone."

Holtz turns away and addresses the other Grapplar demons.

Holtz: "Find the female. If he's here, Darla can't be far. (Turns to look at Angel) Or are you going to tell me *that's* changed, too?"

Darla is screaming with pain in the backseat of Angel's convertible.

Gunn: "She's gonna pop right here."

Wes: "The contractions, they're coming more frequently now."

Cordy holding a stake: "You think?"

Wes: "Angel's not back with the scrolls yet. I'd feel a lot better if we had the ancient prophecies to guide ?us."

Cordy: "Please! Women have been giving birth without ancient prophecies for years!"

Gunn: "What we could really use right about now is some Vaseline and a catcher's mitt."

Darla lets out another scream.

Fred: "I don't think she's ready to deliver yet, but she's moved into the active stage of her labor."

Wes looks around: "We have to go. We can't stay here. It's too exposed. Angel should have been back by now."

Gunn: "Something must have happened."

Wes: "Now it's up to us to protect Angel's unborn child. - Darla, we're trying to take you out of here. Relax. The trick is to breathe. Something like this: (Wes demonstrated short panting breaths) Heh, heh, heh, hoh, hoh, hoh, heh, heh, heh..."

Darla: "I! Don't! (Sits up and sends all four of them flying backwards, away from the car, morphing into her vampface) Breathe!"

Darla breaks down in a fit of crying.

Intro

Holtz is riding hell for leather through the night, intercut with flashes of his wife and daughter.

He bursts into his house, kneels down beside the body of his wife and sees the two puncture wounds in her neck.

Holtz is sitting, crying into his hands.

Sarah: "Papa? - Papa."

Holtz slowly lowers his hands: "Sarah?"

He turns and sees his daughter in the doorway, clutching her doll.

Holtz: "Oh, Sarah!"

Hurries over to hold her.

Holtz: "Sarah."

Sarah: "Mommy won't wake up."

Holtz: "Shh... Quiet now."

He sits down, pulls her against him and begins to sing a lullaby.

Holtz: "Sleep, my love, and peace attend thee, all through the night. Guardian angels god will lend thee, all through the night. Slow the drowsy..."

He pushes the hair back from her face and sees two puncture wounds in the side of her neck.

Two of Holtz' men appear in the open door.

Man: "Captain."

Holtz never taking his eyes off Sarah: "Don't come in here."

Man makes a cross: "Sweet Jesus."

Holtz: "Get out!"

The men back away and Holtz resumes singing.

Holtz: "No forebodings (slowly backs away from his daughter) will alarm thee, all through the night."

Holtz sits down on a bench against the wall and watches as his daughter sit in the middle of the room, playing with her doll.

Holtz singing: "They will keep all peril from you, all through the night..."

Wolfram and Hart, night, Lilah, Linwood and Gavin are walking down a corridor. Linwood is holding a picture of Holtz.

Lilah: "We've no idea who he is. We ran everything from the surveillance tapes through face and voice recognition and came up with nada. Whoever he is, he's not in the system."

Linwood: "A new player."

Gavin: "Or an old one."

Linwood: "Go."

Gavin: "Well, sir, he did address Angel as Angelus. That might suggest some sort of personal history."

Linwood: "An old friend."

Lilah: "Not likely. Angelus didn't have friends."

Linwood: "What's the status of our surveillance?"

Gavin: "Still down, but we're working on it."

Linwood: "And we've heard nothing yet from Commander Burke's team or from Dr. Fetvanovich?"

Gavin: "All units were successfully deployed at Angel's hotel. But that's all we know."

Linwood: "Actually that's all *you* know. - I, on the other hand, know nothing."

Gavin: "Sir?"

Linwood: "It's clear that *I* could *never* have been involved in such an ill-conceived and in the end botched operation."

Gavin: "Because you were never here."

Linwood: "That is correct."

Gavin: "But *we* were."

Linwood: "You were. - I'll expect a full report at Thursday's staff meeting, and be advised, when I hear about all this for the very first time I will be both shocked and appalled. (Gives the a smile) Good night."

Gavin: "He's gonna crucify us."

Lilah: "They don't crucify here. It's too Christian."

Angel is still held motionless by the metal grips while Holts admires one of Angel's swords.

Angel: "You're still human. How'd you manage this?"

Holtz puts the sword back into the weapons cabinet.

Holtz: "So, the question becomes - now that I have you - what's the best way to get her?"

Angel: "Only dark magics could have brought you this far."

Holtz: "She was always the trick, you know, not you. Darla was the unpredictable one."

Angel: "Was it a demon - or something else?"

Holtz points a stake at Angel's chest: "What if I just - kill you now? Would she somehow sense it? Would she then come running? (Walks away from Angel) Would that bring her bursting through those doors, I wonder?"

Angel: "Did something come to you, or did you seek it out?"

Holtz: "She might show herself in the service of revenge. - It can be a powerful motivator."

Angel: "Yes, it can. What did you have to give up for this second chance?"

Holtz: "Give up? (Turns to face Angel) I had nothing *to* give up. *You* saw to that."

Angel: "We took a lot from you, that's true. But we didn't get everything. We couldn't take your soul."

Holtz: "What do you know of a soul."

Angel: "I know yours will be destroyed if you allow yourself to be used in the service of evil. - You're a good man, Holtz. A righteous man - and you're being used - for some purpose - other than justice."

Holtz: "Could it be you really have changed? - I don't remember you ever pleading so cravenly before."

Angel: "And I remember *you* used to work with men."

Holtz hits Angel hard across the face.

Gunn crouches down between Cordy and Fred.

Gunn: "Smack him again."

Cordy gives the side of Wes' face a slight smack.

Wes: "Ow."

Wes opens his eyes and slowly sits up, reaching one hand towards the back of his head.

Wes: "That hurts."

Cordy: "Well, you know what they say: birth -painful."

Wes: "Yes, but generally for the mother, not the bystanders. How long have I been out?"

Wes accepts a hand from Gunn to help him to his feet.

Fred: "Not long, but we seem to be between contractions now."

They turn to look at Darla, how is sitting in the backseat of the car, gesturing while talking to herself and crying.

Cordy: "Yep. She's been doing that."

Gunn: "Hormones."

Looks in Cordy's direction as he takes a step back.

Wes: "Come on then. (Walks towards the car) Darla? Darla, do you feel well enough to travel?"

Darla nods.

Wes: "Good."

Wes gets into the driver's seat. Everyone else piles into the front seat as well. Fred, the last to get in, ends up sitting half on Cordy and Gunn's lap.

Darla: "Doesn't anyone wanna sit back here with me?"

Cordy: "We're good."

Gunn: "Yeah, it's - comfy."

Darla: "I promise I won't throw anyone out of the car. - Not while it's moving."

Fred: "It's not that we don't trust you. I mean, we *don't* trust you. But the fact is, your water broke all over the back seat."

Darla: "Oh."

Cordy looks at Wes: "What? What are you waiting for?"

Wes: "I presume we have a tire iron in the trunk?"

Gunn: "Yeah, why? We got a flat?"

Wes: "And how about a hurling ax, or some sort of heavy mallet?"

The turn to see what Wes is looking at: Grapplar demons stepping out of the shadows in front of the car.

Wes: "Also a shotgun wouldn't be a terrible thing at this juncture."

They all turn to look behind the car. More Grapplar demons.

Holtz: "Are you still concerned about my soul, Angelus? My vampire priest?"

The door opens and a Grapplar comes in.

Holtz: "Excuse me."

He walks over to receive the demon's report. Turns back to look at Angelus.

Holtz: "You've got her. Good. Bring her in."

Angel watches the door as the Grapplar pulls in his captive.

Angel: "Lilah."

Holtz: "This isn't her."

Holtz walks over and throws some water in Lilah's face.

Holtz: "She's not even a vampire."

Lilah wiping her face dry: "No, I'm an attorney."

Angel: "Let me guess: dead guys all over my floor - friends of yours?"

Lilah: "Look, if I'd known you were torturing him, I wouldn't have interrupted. Please, continue. I'll wait until your finished."

Holtz: "When I'm finished, he'll be dead."

Lilah: "Really?"

Holtz: "You say you're an attorney. You deal in man's laws, I deal in god's."

Lilah: "Ah, right. A good guy."

Holtz: "Do you know what he is?"

Lilah: "Yeah, I know. (Reciting) Vampire, cursed by gypsies who restored his soul. Destined to atone for centuries of evil, wacky sidekicks, yada, yada. I'd have him killed myself, except the people I work for have this (makes air quotes) 'policy.'"

Holtz: "Hm."

Lilah: "Hmm."

Holtz turns to look at Angel: "What does she mean 'cursed by gypsies?'"

Angel: "Long story, Holtz. I doubt it would interest you much."

Lilah: "How about I go to my car for about twenty seconds? That should give you enough time in here. Then I gotta call some people to clean this mess up. I've got an early staff meeting in the morning."

Angel glances down and spots a grenade in the hand of one of the dead commandos at his feet.

Holtz: "I can't allow you to leave."

Angel cranes his neck to glance at the elevator behind him while Holtz' attention is on Lilah.

Lilah: "What do you mean? Of course you can."

Holtz: "No. You said you work for the law."

Angel puts the tip of his shoe under the dead man's open hand.

Lilah: "No, I didn't. I said I'm a lawyer. I don't care about the law."

Angel: "Lilah?"

Lilah: "What?"

Angel: "Duck."

Angel flips the grenade up and catches the pin in his mouth. He shakes his head and the grenade flies free from the pin.

The top comes off the grenade as it lands on the floor and it explodes a moment later, blasting Angel back and throwing Holtz to the floor.

Holtz picks himself up and looks at the man-shaped hole in the elevator doors. He picks himself up, runs over to them and looks down the empty elevator shaft.

Holtz to his minions: "Search the grounds! (To Lilah) Those men you sent to kill Angelus, they were each of them brave."

Lilah: "Oh, good."

Holtz: "They fought to the last."

Lilah looks at the bodies on the floor: "Yeah, I get *that*."

Holtz: "But send more, and I'll do the same. No one will have him but me."

Lilah: "There weren't sent for Angel. This was meant to be a party for his girlfriend."

Holtz: "You know of Darla?"

Lilah: "Sure."

Holtz: "Tell me, these gypsies, did they curse her as well? Has she, too, been re-ensouled?"

Lilah: "Darla? No. She's free-range evil."

Holtz turns away with a nod: "Hmm."

Lilah: "Hey, if you do manage to catch up with her, I think maybe we can do some business."

Holtz looks back at her: "The only business that I have with Darla is to send her back to the hell that made her."

Lilah opens her mouth to say more, but Holtz is already walking away.

Lilah: "Yeah, okay. Whatever. (Pulls out her phone) Harvey? It's Lilah. I've got a job for you. Angel Investigations."

She leans on the reception desk and sees the remnant of the Nyazian scroll, picks it up and plays with it while continuing to talk.

Lilah: "Yeah. Full cleaner service. (Stops to twist the piece of dark gray material and stares at it) Thanks."

Lilah puts her phone away, glances around and quickly picks up a picture frame lying on the counter and put it over the piece of the scroll and some memo pads. Glancing around the picks the whole stack up and turns to the doors.

Wes, Gunn and the girls a fighting the Grapplars while Darla just sits in the back of the car arguing with herself.

Wes: "Keep the moving."

Gunn: "Don't let them get behind you!"

Darla shakes her head, gets up out of the back seat and slides behind the wheel.

Fred: "Charles! (Gunn clobbers the Grapplar about to get Fred) Thanks."

Fred swings her bat at Gunn. He ducks and Fred's swing hits the demon behind him full across the face.

As the gang continues to fight, Darla starts the car. She puts it into gear and mows down the two demons standing in front of it. Slams on the breaks, backs over one of the Grapplars behind the car, then squeals out of there leaving the her defenders to stare after the disappearing car.

A slightly singed looking Angel comes up behind them and cranes his head to look over their shoulders.

Angel: "What are we looking at?"

Everyone turns to stare at him.

Break

Wes: 'Holtz?"

Angel: "Yeah."

Wes: "The vampire hunter that tracked you and Darla..."

Angel: "Through the late seventeen hundreds, yeah."

Gunn: "Sure it wasn't his great, great, great-grandson?"

Angel: "No it was him."

Fred: "Maybe he's part of what's supposed to rain down ruination upon mankind. The Nyazian Prophecies did say that the Tro-clan was going to be a confluence of events."

Cordy: "And the sudden appearance of an eighteenth century vampire hunter in the twenty first century does seem pretty confluey."

Gunn: "You think he's here for the baby?"

Angel: "I don't think he even knows about it."

Fred: "He wouldn't have to. That's the tragic beauty of a cosmic convergence. I-I mean, he just plays his own small part. He-he comes here looking for Angel and Darla, and in the process ends up finding Angel's unborn child, who, as it turns out, wasn't evil at all as we feared, but was actually meant to be some sort of Messianic figure. But Holtz kills it before it's even born and his vengeance somehow triggers the end of the world! (She smiles at the others, who just look at her) Or not! It could go either way. - Have you thought of a name yet?"

Wes: "We need to find Darla before Holtz does."

Angel: "I can find her a lot faster on my own."

Wes: "Of course."

Angel: "If you guys could just find some place safe for her to have this baby, we'll come to you."

Gunn: "We can do that."

Angel turns to go.

Cordy: "Hey! (Angel turns back) Be careful."

Angel turns to go.

Wes: "Angel. (Angel turns back) The scrolls, you didn't manage to..."

Angel: "No."

Angel leaves.

Wes: "I'm sure we'll be fine without them."

A guy wearing white gloves is examining the remnant of the scroll in Lilah's office.

Man: "Nyazian. Exquisite! I recognize the Ga-shundi cross-text. Quite a find! Have you any idea what this is worth?"

Lilah: "Hopefully enough to cover my ass. (Hands him the memo pad) Here, these notes should help speed things up a little."

Man: "Ah! You had another translator work on this I see. - I don't recognize the handwriting but the idiom would indicate an Englishman."

Lilah: "I don't know. I don't remember."

Man: "It wasn't Worm Forsch in Ancient Symbols and Icons, was it? He's had his eye on my cubicle."

Lilah: "No, it was somebody else. You don't know them."

Man: "He's only got that one eye..."

Lilah: "Don't worry about it. Outside contractors. Now, I've highlighted the sections they seemed to be concentrating on."

Man: "You *highlighted* an ancient Nyazian Scroll?"

Lilah: "In yellow."

Man: "Hmm."

Lilah: "So, can you translate it?"

Man: "When it comes to sacred prophecies it's always going to be more of an interpretation than a strict translation."

Lilah: "I'm just looking for the gist here. What does it say?"

Man: "Let's see. (Looks through his magnifying glass at the symbols on the scroll) Bring... forth... appear... born... Uh! Something about a birth!"

Lilah: "What? What about the birth?"

Man: "It's unclear."

Lilah: "Make it clear."

Man: "Well, this should be fun!"

Lilah: "No. This shouldn't be fun, what it should be is done by morning - or I'll have your family killed."

Lilah leaves.

Holtz is back in the chamber he woke up in talking to Sahjhan.

Holtz: "You knew. You knew and you didn't tell me."

Sahjhan: "Okay! So I left out one teeny weeny little detail. It didn't seem all that important."

Holtz: "Not important? Angelus with a soul?"

Sahjhan: "It doesn't mean anything!"

Holtz: "It means everything."

Sahjhan: "See? This is *why* I didn't mention it. So Angel has a soul. Big whoop! So did Attila the Hun! Not to mention a heart as big as all outdoors when it came to gift giving. He is *still* a vampire! Angel, not Attila."

Holtz: "He's not the same vampire."

Sahjhan: "Of course he is! His hair is a little shorter, a little spikier. He's using product. But it's the same guy."

Holtz: "No. He's changed. He's - different."

Sahjhan: "Look. I don't know what kind of moral mind games you've been torturing yourself with, but can't let this soul thing get in the way of what you swore to do."

Holtz: "Get in the way?"

Sahjhan: "That's what this is about, right? You find out Angel has a soul, now you're wondering if things are a little murkier - ethically speaking."

Holtz: "Things - have never been clearer. Releasing his soul to suffer for all eternity only makes his destruction more just, more fitting."

Sahjhan: "Oh. Well, then what's the problem?"

Holtz: "You've had me hunting the wrong prey."

Sahjhan: "Ah! Right. Because an Angel with a soul is going to be a slightly different challenge from an Angel without a soul."

Holtz: "I must know everything."

Sahjhan: "Right. No, gotcha. My mistake."

Holtz: "You've kept nothing else from me then?"

Sahjhan: "Ah. - No. - Nothing I can think of."

Darla is standing on top of a building looking over the city below, her hands cradling her pregnant belly.

Angel: "You always did love a view."

Darla: "Look at it. Listen to it. Can you smell it? This world. This horrible world. Why would anyone want to bring a baby into it?"

Angel: "To make it better, maybe?"

Darla: "Or to destroy it finally."

Angel: "Why is it everyone insists on planning my son's future before he's even born?"

Darla turns and walks past where Angel is standing.

Darla: "Alright then, how's this? It doesn't have a future. Not with me."

Angel follows her: "Darla..."

Darla: "Angel, I can't have this baby."

Angel: "What?"

Darla: "I can't let it out. I-I can't."

Angel: "Okay, not sure you have a lot of choice in the matter..."

Darla: "Look, I know. It wants to come out. I can feel it. It's ready. It's just - I can't let it. I can't let because... because..."

Angel: "You love it."

Darla: "Completely. I love it completely. I-I-I don't think I've ever loved anything as much as this life that's inside of me."

Angel: "Well - you've never *loved* anything, Darla."

Darla: "That's true. Four hundred years and I never did - till now. - I don't know what to do."

Angel: "Well, you-you'll do the only thing that you can do. - You'll have it. You'll have it and then..."

Darla: "What? We'll raise it?"

Angel: "Why not?"

Darla: "It's impossible."

Angel: "This whole thing is impossible, Darla, but it's happening."

Darla: "What do I have to offer a child, a *human* child, besides ugly death?"

Angel: "Darla."

Darla: "You know it's true."

Angel: "No. What I do know is that you love this baby, our baby. You've bonded with it. You've spent nine months carrying it, nourishing it..."

Darla: "No. No, I haven't been nourishing it. I haven't given this baby a thing. I'm dead. It's been nourishing me. These feelings that I'm having, they're not mine. They're coming from it."

Angel: "You don't know that."

Darla: "Of course I do! We both do. Angel, I don't have a soul. It does. And right now that soul is inside of me, but soon, it won't be and then..."

Angel: "Darla..."

Darla: "I won't be able to love it. I won't even be able to remember that I loved it. (Starts to cry) I want to remember."

Angel pulls her against him.

Angel: "Shh..."

Angel closes his eyes as he holds a crying Darla.

Lorne: "Here?! She wants to have it here? Well, that's just a terrible idea. Can't you see I'm working my tush off trying to get ready for a grand re-opening? (To a girl carrying a big jar) Uh, ah, Gorsh entrails behind the bar next to the Maraschinos. I can't have *baby* here! I just had the booth simonized."

Cordy: "Lorne, what do you want us to do? Tell Angel and Darla that they're not welcome here?"

Lorne: "No. No, of course not. Caritas is and will always be a Sanctuary. That is if *some* people ever finish the work they promised to have done three days ago. How's the job coming, Arnie?"

Arnie: "I think we'll have up on her feet by the time you open tomorrow night."

Gunn: "New security system?"

Lorne: "Yeah, routes the new sanctuary spells together to prevent both human and demon violence, Creating a totally carnage free Caritas."

Arnie: "But, ah, balancing that interspecies flux, a little trickier than I expected."

Lorne takes the leaflet Arnie is working from away from him.

Lorne: "Uh-huh. That's not the only thing that's tricky around here. You hum while you work."

Arnie: "Yeah, so?"

Lorne: "So? I just read you, buster! Which connection are you leaving unconnected to milk this job?"

Arnie: "You're questioning my work ethic?"

Lorne: "No, I'm firing you! Get out. Out. Git. Go on."

Lorne pushes Arnie towards the door.

Arnie: "Hey, I'm union. You got to pay me for the full day."

Lorne: "Out. I'll finish this myself. How hard could this be?"

Lorne opens the leaflet.

Angel and Darla are standing beside each other on the rooftop, each facing a different way.

Darla: "You won't let me hurt it, will you? You'll protect it, right? From me, I mean."

Angel's cell phone rings and he answers it.

Angel: "Yeah."

Wes: "We found a place."

Angel: "Is it safe?"

Wes looks over at the host working on the equipment.

Wes: "I'm sure by the time you get here it'll be safe as houses."

Lorne: "Okay. Try that."

Fred sighs and give Gunn a slight slap across the face.

Fred: "Nope, still not working."

Lorne: "Okay. Ah. - Try it now."

Fred slaps Gunn again.

Gunn and Fred: "No!"

Darla hunches over and leans against a post.

Angel: "Hey - Darla? We should - get going. I feel a storm coming. You okay? Another contraction?"

Darla: "No. It's something else."

Lilah walks into her office.

Lilah: "You got something?"

Man: "Yes. I believe I do. I have to say, whoever you had working on this before was very close. These notes were enormously helpful."

Lilah: "That's great. What does it say?"

Man: "I can see he ran into trouble right here with the tense. Ga-shundi tenses are tricky little buggers! (Laughs)"

Lilah: "I'm riveted. The birth! What does it say about the birth?"

Man: "Well, actually, it's funny... it doesn't."

Lilah: "What do you mean, it doesn't. But you said it did."

Man: "Yes, I did say it did."

Lilah: "But it doesn't."

Man smiling: "In a way."

Lilah: "I have a gun."

Man: "The prophecy, it's not so much a birth announcement as it is an obituary."

Lilah: "Obituary?"

Man: "Yes. The prophet is telling us there will be no birth."

Lilah: "But are you sure?"

Man: "Oh, quite sure! 'For surely in that time, when the sky opens and the heavens weep, there will be no birth, only death.'"

Lilah: "Only death?"

Man: "Just death."

Lilah considering: "Just death."

A slight smile plays across her face.

Break

Holtz is sitting in his house staring straight ahead. The two men form the night before have come back. It is now day outside.

Man: "Captain. (Holtz doesn't move) Captain, we beg you. Let us take you out of this place. (Looks at Caroline's body) It's the devil's work."

Holtz: "Not the devil. Just a demon."

The man looks over at Sarah cowering in a dark corner, clutching her doll.

Man: "What are we going to do?"

Holtz slowly gets up: "Whatever we have to."

Holtz walks over to Sarah and picks her up.

Sarah: "Papa, no! Please, no, papa! Papa, don't. Let me go!"

Holtz caries her over to the door and out onto the roofed porch.

Sarah: "No, papa. Papa, don't!"

Sarah tries to cling to one of the porch's pillars, but Holtz pulls her away and pushes her out into the bright sunlight of the front yard. She turns back to look up at him, morphing into vamp face as she burns up in the direct sunlight.

Holtz stays and watches until she's gone then walks back into the house.

Wes is pacing. Gunn is sitting in front of the bar, playing his gameboy. Cordy is sitting on a stool behind him, reading a magazine. Fred is sitting beside Lorne reading the leaflet, while Lorne is still messing with whatever magic-machine Arnie was installing.

Lorne: "Okay. Okay. I'm *convinced* I got it this time!"

Cordy smacks the back of Gunn's head.

Gunn: "Ow."

Lorne takes the leaflet away from Fred: "Let me see that."

Angel supports Darla as he's leading her down the stairs.

Angel: "Just a few more steps. That's it. Okay. All right."

Wes walks over to them.

Angel: "Guys. A chair. Chair."

Wes pulls a chair out for Darla.

Gunn: "Jeez, what happened?"

Angel helps Darla into the chair: "Easy."

Darla: "Thanks."

Gunn looks from Angel to Wes. Angel motions with his head to the corner of the room and he and Wes walk away.

Cordy to Darla: "You're welcome."

Fred: "You gave us quite a scare. - But - I guess you're used to that, what with being a scary thing and all."

We hear thunder rumbling outside.

Darla: "Yeah. I'm sorry about that. I don't know what got into me."

Darla starts to laugh quietly to herself as she looks down at her belly.

Angel: "She's in a lot of pain."

Wes: "How frequent are the contractions?"

Angel: "It's been... I don't know, maybe an hour?"

Wes: "An hour? She was well into the active stage of labor. I don't understand."

Angel: "I don't either. She just - stopped having them."

Wes: "But the pain she's experiencing?"

Angel: "She says she's experiencing something else."

Wes whispering: "That's worrying."

Darla suddenly hunches over with a moan of pain.

Cordy: "Angel!"

Angel hurries to her side.

Angel: "Darla?"

Darla: "Angel!"

Lorne: "Let's get her into my bedroom. Come on."

He and Angel help her up and lead her away.

Lorne: "Easy. Easy now. Come on, sweetheart. We'll get you right in there."

Fred looks down at the chair Darla was sitting on as notices a little puddle of dark blood on the seat.

Sahjhan: "It's time to get to work."

Holtz: "You found him then?"

Sahjahn: "Tell him."

Arnie: "Don't forget what we discussed."

Sahjhan: "You'll get your money."

Arnie: "I've heard that one before. You know, I've got mouths to feed. Plus a family. Some of them have mouths, too."

Sahjhan: "Just tell him what you heard!"

Arnie's eyes light up and he mimics Cordy: "Lorne, what do you want us to do? Tell Angel and Darla they're not welcome here? (Mimics Lorne) No, of course not. Caritas is and always will be a sanctuary."

Angel waits at the door as Wes and Fred check on Darla lying on Lorne's bed, then walk over to him.

Angel: "Is she gonna be okay?"

Wes: "She's tough as nails."

Fred: "And immortal, so that's, you know, in her favor - health wise."

Angel: "What about the baby?"

Wes glances back at Darla, then walks out of the room. Angel follows him.

Darla lifts her head and watches the leave.

Angel: "What? What is it?"

Wes: "Angel, I think you need to prepare yourself for the worst."

Angel: "No."

Wes: "The babies heartbeat is faint. Very faint."

Angel: "What do we do?"

Wes: "I'm not sure there is anything we can do. Darla's body - it's not a life-giving vessel. I don't know that it's equipped to do what it needs to do in order to bring a baby to term."

Angel: "So-so, what-what are you saying? We just let it die?"

Cordy: "Ah, what about a c-section?"

Fred: "Normally that's exactly what we'd do in this instance, but... the mystical forces that's been protecting the pregnancy..."

Thunder rumbles outside.

Angel: "...is gonna end up killing it."

Wes: "That's my fear."

Angel sighs, and rubs his eyes: "This doesn't make any sense. I mean, this whole thing has been a miracle, right? You don't just get half a miracle, do you? - I mean, the powers - they brought her this far, they protected the baby all this time..."

Gunn: "We don't know that. We don't know that it's the powers that's been protecting it. Angel, I'm sorry, but what if what Darla's carrying *is* the thing in the prophecies? That scourge of mankind that's supposed to plunge the world into ultimate darkness? - What if - what if what's happening to Darla *now*, what if that's the powers? Finally stepping up to the plate and doing something for once!"

Angel staring straight ahead: "How? By killing my kid?"

Angel walks towards Lorne's bedroom.

Cordy to Gunn: "Do you always have to be so damned honest?"

Cordy reaches out to slap Gunn on the arm, but her hand is repelled by a by blue force field.

Lorne: "What? Hey! Hey, it-it worked! I fixed it!"

The others continue to look glum.

Lorne: "Ah, yay, me?"

Angel stands in the doorway of Lorne's bedroom and looks at Darla for a moment before walking over and sitting down on a chair beside the bed.

Darla stirs, opens her eyes and looks at him.

Angel: "Hi. How 're you doing?"

Darla: "He finally stopped kicking."

Angel: "Did he."

He leans forward and lays one hand on Darla's belly.

Angel: "I guess he figured he finally got your attention. - You called him a 'he.' (With a slight smile at Darla) I think that's the first time you've ever done that."

Darla: "He's dying. (Angel's smile melts away, but he refuses to look away from her) Isn't he?"

Angel after a beat: "No."

Darla: "You lied much better when you didn't have a soul. - I can feel the life slipping away from me."

Angel: "Then don't let it. You have to fight for this. - Please."

Darla: "I don't know how. My boy. (Strokes her belly) My darling boy. - I told you I had nothing to offer this kid. Some mother (there are tears in Darla's eyes) can't even offer it life."

Gunn gets up off his stool: "Maybe I should go in there, apologize."

Wes takes hold of his arm: "Best to just stay here, wait this out."

Cordy: "I think both Angel and Darla just need a little time alone."

Fred: "This isn't gonna end well, is it?"

Lorne: "Okay. Everybody's drinking. I'm buying."

He gets up from his chair and sees Holtz walk into the bar.

Lorne: "Oh, hello."

Holtz looks Lorne up and down: "Hello."

Lorne: "We're not open at the moment. Why don't you come back tomorrow night? (Hands him a flyer) It's the grand re-opening. Here. Here's a flyer."

Holtz takes it: "Thanks."

Lorne walks around the bar to pour some drinks.

Holtz takes a slow look around, the turns and walks out, singing quietly: "Sleep, my love and peace attend thee, (Lorne starts to hum along) all through the night, guardian angels god will send you, all through the night..."

Lorne's eyes suddenly widen and he drops the bottle and glass back onto the counter.

Lorne: "Run!"

Cordy: "What's going on?"

Lorne heading for the back of the club: "Just run! Run."

The others get up and follow him.

A red metal barrel tumbles down the stairs and comes to rest just on the other side of the metal security doorway. A grenade bounces down the steps and comes to rest beside it. A beat later the grenade explodes and big fireball sweeps through the club, destroying everything in its wake.

Break

Angel is supporting Darla beside the bed as the others run in.

Angel: "What's going on?"

Wes: "We're being attacked."

Angel: "Attacked? I thought you had double protection sanctorium spells?"

Lorne: "I do. It's a thing with the door and the stairs and the world and the thing. Never mind!"

Gunn: "Apparently you can be outside and shove stuff in."

Lorne: "I just said that."

A burning beam crashes through the ceiling beside Angel and Darla. Darla lets out a little scream.

Angel: "It's Holtz."

Darla: "What?"

Lorne: "Come on. We've got to move the bed."

The others go and help Lorne.

Darla: "How's it possible?"

Angel: "He's here. I would have mentioned it before, but I didn't think it was the right time."

Darla sinks down onto a chair.

Darla: "No. No, it's the perfect time."

Gunn as they pull out the bed: "What's behind the bed?"

Lorne: "An old loading dock door. I had the whole place converted."

Wes: "What's on the other side?"

Lorne: "An alley."

Darla: "What we did to him."

Angel: "I know."

Gunn: "You got an ax, a hammer or anything?"

Wes: "Buddha head."

Hands it to Gunn.

Cordy: "A rhino."

Hands it to Wes.

He and Gunn haul back with the statues and attack the wall.

Darla: "That's why this is happening. His family, his children... - what that must have been like for him. Doesn't seem so funny now, does it?"

Angel: "Darla?"

Wes: "Angel, we could use some vampire strength here."

Angel: "Cordy, Fred!"

Cordy and Fred take his place with Darla.

Angel steps between Wes and Gunn who step aside and watch him batter down the wall with his fists and feet.

Holtz walks into the burning remains of the club.

A back alley lit by Chinese lanterns. Angel breaks through into it from Lorne's bedroom. Wooden shards fly as he enlarges the opening. Cordy steps through it, followed by Wes, Fred, Gunn and Lorne. Then Angel half carries Darla through it.

Darla: "No. No. Go on. I can't. It doesn't matter anyway."

Angel: "I'm not leaving you, alright? Easy. Alright. (Pulls out his keys and tosses them towards the others.) Go get my car. It's out front."

He lowers Darla to the ground and crouches down beside her.

Angel: "I got you."

Cordy makes move to join him.

Angel: "Go!"

All of them turn and hurry off (Lorne is holding to pieces of cardboard over his head to keep some of the rain off himself), but after a few steps Fred stops and runs back to crouch beside Angel and Darla.

Angel: "Fred, go with them."

Fred: "It's okay. They'll come back for us."

Angel takes off his jacket and slings it around Fred's shoulders.

Angel to Darla: "You're gonna be okay."

Darla: "No. No, I don't think so. Once he's gone, I won't be okay. I won't be okay at all. - I don't know what I'll be. - Angel... Our baby is gonna die right here in this alley. - You died in an alley, remember?"

Angel: "I remember."

Darla: "I wanna say I'm sorry. I wanna say it and mean it, but - I can't. - Aren't you gonna tell me it's okay?"

Angel: "No."

Darla: "No? It's really not, is it? We did so many terrible things together. So much destruction, so much - pain. - We can't make up for any of it. You know that, don't you."

Angel after a beat: "Yeah."

Darla: "This child - Angel, it's the one good thing we ever did together."

Angel lifts Darla's hand between both of his and pressed it against his lips.

Darla: "The only good thing."

Angel buries his face in his hands, still holding onto Darla's, takes a sobbing breath.

Darla: "You make sure to tell him that."

Darla is holding one of the splinters of wood and buries it in her chest, gasping. Angel lifts his head and stares as Darla turns to dust.

Where Darla was there is now a naked human infant lying in the rain, crying.

Holtz steps into Lorne's bedroom with flames flickering all around him. Lifts his crossbow and looks around.

Angel carefully gathers up the baby.

Holtz steps through the hole in Lorne's wall into the alley. Lifts the crossbow and aims it at Angel as Angel slowly stands up, cradling the crying infant.

Fred hands Angel's jacket back to him and he wraps it around the infant.

Holtz is watching them over his crossbow.

Angel slowly turns his head and sees Holtz.

For a moment they just look at each other.

A Grapplar appears at the mouth of the alley behind. Angel looks from it to the baby (that has quieted down) to Holtz.

Angel's car pulls up behind two Grapplars at the other end of the alley and Wes gets out.

Holtz slowly lowers his crossbow, still looking at Angel cradling the infant against his chest.

After a beat Angel slowly walks past Holtz, Fred clinging to his right arm.

Holtz watches as Angel and Fred pass between the two Grapplars.

Sahjhan: "Do it! Now's your chance. Do it! Finish it while you still can! You can't just let him walk away! Not now! Not after what you swore to me!"

Holtz watches as Fred and Angel get into the car.

Holtz: "I swore that I would show no mercy. (Watches Angel's car drive away) And I won't."

Previously on Angel:

Quick shots of Darla and Angel making out, and of Holtz' demon cocoon breaking.

Wes: "The Nyazian Scrolls mentions the Tro-clan that brings about the ruination of mankind."

Cordy: "Imagine what could have happened if you'd gone nuts and slept with Darla!"

Angel: "You know I would never do that."

Darla: "Hello, lover."

Angel: "Darla?"

Wes: "Darla."

Cordy: "Darla?"

Angel: "This is impossible."

Darla: "Tell me about it - Daddy."

Cordy: "You slept with her?"

Angel: "Uh..."

Cordy to Darla: "How are you feeling?"

Darla bits Cordy.

Angel: "Get away from her!"

Angel: "You're gonna be all right! I'll kill her for this."

Cordy: "You gonna have to find her first."

Angel tackles Darla away from the boy.

Angel holds Darla and raises the stake.

Darla: "Come on! Do it! Do it! Do it!"

Angel: "The child. It has a soul."

Darla: "No it doesn't..."

Angel: "It does. It does."

Fred: "Whatever that thing is, it is arriving right about - one, two - now."

Holtz: "Just tell me where he is."

York, England - 1764

Holtz gallops through the countryside at night. Stops and then rides up to another man signaling with a torch.

Man: "We found them."

Holtz: "Go."

They ride off.

Inside of a house, dimly lit by a candle. A knock on the door. A young girl opens the door.

Angelus: "Ah, is your mother home there, young lady? (Girl nods) Will you take us to her?"

Sarah: "Father said not to let strangers in while he's away."

Angelus and Darla look at each other.

Angelus: "But we're not strangers. You're Sarah, aren't you? We know all about you. You're the apple of your father's eye."

Darla: "Would strangers know that?"

Sarah shakes her head.

Angelus: "So, lass. May two friends enter?"

Sarah steps to the side.

Angelus: "Is that a yes then?"

Sarah: "Yes."

Angelus: "Ah. Lovely."

Darla and Angelus walk in. Darla takes Sarah's hands.

Darla: "Such a dear girl. Remind me to give you a special treat."

Angelus locks the door.

Holtz and the other man are riding hell for leather through the night.

They meet up with some other men carrying torches.

Man: "They're trapped inside."

Angelus: "Did you mommy make you that dress Sarah?"

Mom: "What's all the fuss, love?"

Darla, Sarah and Angelus walk into the kitchen.

Angelus: "Good evening to you, ma'am."

Mom: "Evening."

Holtz takes a torch from one of the men and leads them towards a dark house.

Holtz: "Burn it down if you have to."

Angelus: "We can only stay for a moment. We have a message for you husband."

Mom: "You know my Daniel?"

The men near the house.

Mom: "What is his message?"

Darla: "I'll give it to Sarah, hmm?"

The men reach the door of the house.

Holtz: "On my signal."

Darla brushes the hair back from Sarah's face.

Darla: "Close your eyes. I have a surprise for you."

Darla looks at the mother, morphs into vamp face and sinks her fangs into Sarah's neck. Sarah screams and Mom tires to run to her daughter but Angel holds her back.

Angelus: "Tell your husband, Mr. Holtz..."

Mom sees Angelus vamp face: "No... no..."

Angelus: "Never mind. I'll tell him meself."

Angelus sinks his fangs into her neck.

Holtz break in the door, looks around.

Holtz: "Where are they?"

He finds a note that reads: "How do you hope to save others when you can not save your own?"

Holtz: "They're at my house."

Darla and Angelus look up as they hear a baby cry.

Darla: "Can something be done about that horrible noise?"

Angelus straightens up.

Darla: "I think it wants its mother."

Angelus: "Let's send it to her. Do you wanna do it, or should I?"

Holtz and two other men ride through the night.

Holtz slams the door of his house open and enters the kitchen to see his wife lying there with vampire bite marks on her neck.

Hyperion, day

Darla is lying on a bed, apparently asleep.

Angel walks in and sits down beside the bed. After a moment he hesitantly reaches out and puts one hand on Darla's swollen belly. Darla stirs, but her eyes stay closed. One of her hands comes up to cover Angel's.

Darla: "Are you going to do it (opens her eyes to look at Angel) or am I?"

Intro

Scenes from world history flash across four TV screens stacked side by side.

Holtz is sitting in a chair in front of them, watching. He is still in the same circular room that he woke in, lit by fire burning in bowls sitting in the niches lining the walls.

The demon that did the incantation to wake him suddenly stands behind his chair.

Sahjhan: "I know it seems like only a moment to you. But two hundred and twenty seven years have passed since our agreement. Empires have risen and fallen. Mankind has harnessed the power of the sun, walked on the moon, and turned arid desserts into fields of green."

Holtz: "What of England? Has it survived the years and destruction?"

Sahjhan: "Yes. - It went through a rough patch about sixty years ago, but it's mostly unchanged. Warm beer, boiled meat, bad teeth. That's why I moved to LA. - Have you followed this part of the history? American Revolution, manifest destiny, westward expansion, the Beach Boys?"

Holtz: "I understand enough. One thing baffles me. (Indicates the TVs) These visions, wars, the weapons of destruction - how is it no one has killed Angelus or Darla?"

Sahjhan: "That's why I brought you here, remember? Because your fate and their fate are entwined."

Holtz gets up: "Then let's go. Let's finish this. I want Angelus."

Sahjhan: "I know. I want him, too. But we're going to do it right. I haven't waited two and a half centuries to mess it all up."

Holtz: "You have been tracking them this entire time?"

Sahjhan: "Yes. But not in the way you imagine. There are other dimensions, other worlds where time behaves differently. I have an ability to navigate those dimensions."

Holtz: "And is that why you haven't aged?"

Sahjhan: "That, and I had a little work done. Mostly around the eyes. Now get some rest. You're going to need it."

The demon leaves and Holtz sits back down in the chair facing the TVs.

Darla is lying on the couch in Angel's suite, Angel is sitting in a chair.

Darla: "You figure out a way to do it?"

Angel: "No. I was thinking about the last time you were here."

Darla: "Mmm - that. (Sits up) Kind of hard to forget."

Angel: "I know. I've tried."

Darla stands up and begins to walk around.

Darla: "Hey, you're the one that came in here all 'the world is a cold and lonely place.'"

Angel: "I had a bad day."

Darla: "So, you threw me through those glass doors, slammed me against the wall, pushed me onto the bed and took what you wanted."

Angel: "It seemed like the thing to do - at the time."

There's a knock on the door.

Angel: "Come in."

Gunn walks in carrying a loaded crossbow, followed by Wes, Fred and Cordy.

Wes: "Sorry to intrude. We had a bit of a breakthrough with the Nyazian Scroll translation. I thought you should know."

Fred: "It turns out that some of the irregular verbs Wes was using were problematic when converted to Ga-shundi because of the Nyazian trick of converting both nouns and verbs, which he discovered by... - Sorry. I'll shut up now so he can tell you what he figured out."

Wes: "The Tro-clan isn't a person or persons. It's a confluence of events."

Cordy: "Which means it not only involves you, Darla and the child, but other horrible things we don't know about."

Angel: "That... That's good. Right? I mean, doesn't that mean that the kid isn't this evil, apocalyptic thing that we feared?"

Wes: "Not necessarily. There are a few Nyazian phrases related specifically to the thing being born that I haven't been able to complete."

Angel: "So it's important that you so."

Gunn: "Because we need to know what kind of bun is in the oven."

Darla: "I know one thing about it. Something's protecting it."

Fred: "How do you know that?"

Darla sits down: "Because I can't get rid of it."

Fred: "Sorry I asked."

Gunn raises the crossbow: "So you're saying, if I shot this into your stomach, it wouldn't do anything?"

Darla spreads her hands: "Fire away."

Angel steps between them: "No one is firing anything."

Wes: "Angel's right. Clearly something wants this thing to come to term. - We'll wait for it to be born then we'll chop its head off."

Fred: "Well, what if it doesn't have a head?"

Cordy: "We're gonna need a really big mallet."

Gunn: "If it skitters, we should have a net or something. Maybe a flame thrower."

Angel: "Flame thrower? No, no. There'll be no throwing of flames. Nobody's gonna do anything until we know exactly what's going on. Now, if anybody has a problem with that they should leave - now."

Darla gets up, shrugs and walks towards the door. Angel pulls her back.

Angel: "Not you."

Angel sighs and takes a step closer to the others.

Angel: "Come on, guys. How about it?"

After a beat Gunn lowers his crossbow with a nod.

Angel: "Cordy?"

Cordy steps closer: "You want me to protect the vampire bitch who bit me *and* her evil love child?"

Cordy hauls back and clocks Darla full on the nose, sending her stumbling back against the chair.

Cordy smiles at Angel: "Okay, I'm in."

Darla leans on the chair and moans.

Cordy: "Oh, come on, tough girl. You're a vampire.. A punch in the nose shouldn't hurt that much."

Fred: "Not ow her nose. She's having contractions."

Darla writhes in the chair, groaning.

Wolfram and Hart, day

Lilah pricks her finger with a needle. Lets the blood drip into a little jar, then dips a pen in it and signs her name on a line labeled 'witness' at the bottom of a paper.

There is a knock on the door and a mail clerk comes in with his cart.

Cyril: "Good morning, Miss Morgan."

Lilah: "Morning."

Blows on her signature, then sticks the paper into an envelope and hands it to the clerk.

Lilah: "Would you take this to Pinderhook down in demon resources for me?"

Cyril: "Sure. - Uh... - Miss Morgan, I hate to bother you. But I've been admiring you for quite a while and I was wondering..."

Lilah: "Don't flatter yourself, Cyril. I don't date guys from the mail room."

Cyril: "Me neither! - (Holds out a CD case) I just thought you should know about this."

Lilah takes it and pops it into her computer. Cyril starts to head for the door as a surveillance video of Angel and Lilah making out on Wes' desk comes up on her screen.

Lilah: "Wait. (Walks over to Cyril) You little weasel! If you think you can blackmail your way onto me on *my* desk..."

Cyril: "No! That's not it! You got it all wrong. I respect you way too much to be attracted to you. It's - it's just - down in the mailroom, I see a lot. You know? Different factions in the firm. There comes a time when a guy has to choose a side."

Lilah: "And is that disk your way of telling me you're choosing *my* side? (Cyril smiles and gives her a nod) And who are we allied against, you and I? Who is this common foe?"

Cyril: "I'd rather not..."

Lilah: "If you don't tell me right now, I'm gonna have your skin peeled off and stapled back on inside out."

Cyril: "Mr. Park."

Lilah: "Gavin."

Lilah goes and gets the disk.

Cyril: "Remember those exterminators he sent to Angel's hotel? They don't kill bugs. They plant them."

Lilah: "Hm."

Lilah walks past him towards the door. Cyril follows her out, pushing his mail cart.

A finger taps against a fuzzy video screen, and a picture of the Hyperion's lobby flickers to life.

Angel's voice: "Good. That's it. Where is your weight? Balls of your feet? Don’t forget to..."

Cordy: "Oops. Oh, god, you said that..."

Gavin looks over the shoulder of a guy wearing headphones while transcribing.

Gavin: "Keee-yi-ha ow. Someone doing an incantation?"

Transcriber: "No. Angel started training female one in martial arts. I think she got in a lucky punch."

Gavin: "Any tech problem?"

Transcriber: "Just a couple glitches. Don't sweat it though. I've been staying late. (Hands Gavin a huge book-like file) That is the transcription of everything up to last week."

Gavin opens the top cover.

Lilah: "How about that? I just asked myself, if I were a cockroach, where would I hide? And voila! - there you are! (Holds up the disk) Did you really think you could blackmail me with this?"

Gavin: "Blackmail? (Laughs) No one cares. From what I've hear-, bumping uglies with an old man that body-jumped into a vampire is the closest thing you've had to a meaningful relationship in years. This is about something else. - Thank you, Cyril."

Cyril peeks his head around the corner of the open door: "You're welcome - sir."

Lilah: "What was all that crap about choosing sides?"

Gavin: "He did. He's on mine."

Lilah: "Is this your convoluted pathetic way of asking for my help? Because you sure need it. You're understaffed, underfunded, and clearly (takes the file from him) undertalented. So, what have we learned here?"

Gavin: "We? There is no we. I just decided it was time you understood the full scope of what I've been doing these past few months."

Lilah: "Who is this 'unidentified, pregnant female'?"

Transcriber: "I - I don't know. We lost audio for a couple of days last week. I can pull the tape."

Lilah: "See? Need me."

The transcriber pops a tape in a VCR. On the screen Darla walks into the lobby.

Lilah: "Darla?"

Gavin: "Darla? That's impossible. Vampires can't give birth!"

Lilah pulls out her cell phone: "Tell me about it. (To phone) Linwood? It's Lilah. You're not gonna believe what I'm looking at."

Darla is sitting in the chair, moaning and holding the sides of her belly.

Angel: "How long since the last contraction?"

Fred: "About twenty minutes. They're still real irregular."

Darla: "Something's wrong. The pain..."

Angel: "You like pain."

Darla: "This is different. I want it out - now!"

Wes: "That's exactly what's happening, Darla. You're in the first stage of labor."

Angel: "Labor, that's - that's good, right? How long does it usually last?"

Wes: "It varies. On average, the whole thing, maybe eighteen hours."

Darla forces herself up out of the chair: "Eighteen hours? That's too long!"

Angel supports her as she hunches over with another contraction.

Angel: "Alright. Easy. Lie down."

Angel helps onto the bed as the others leave and close the door behind them.

Angel: "I'll be right back."

Angel follows the others out.

Angel: "Guys, we got to figure out what's inside of her now, before it skitters out."

Gunn: "We should get a demony doctor in here. You know, someone who understands how her vampire girl parts work. (Cordy looks at him) You know what I'm saying."

Cordy: "Well, didn't she already try that whole shaman, voodoo, witch doctor thing?"

Angel: "Yeah. She did."

Fred: "I don't suppose she ever went to like a normal doctor or a hospital?"

Cordy: "Hey, there's an idea: hospital. Oh, wait, they don't admit vampires."

Angel: "Who says we have to admit?"

Wes: "Of course. We don't need the right doctor, we just need the right equipment."

We hear Darla groaning in the other room and Angel hurries back to her.

Wolfram and Hart, day

Linwood is walking down the hallway talking to his phone, flanked by Lilah and Gavin.

Linwood: "I don't care how much it costs. Just find someone who can answer the bloody question. (Closes his phone) Heads are gonna roll if the Senior Partners hear about this."

Gavin: "They won't. That's why we came directly to you."

Linwood: "Darla - pregnant. How'd we miss it?"

Lilah: "I'm sequestering the psychics and the mind readers in the conference room. We will get to the bottom of this."

Linwood: "Man works hard - builds something - waters it - grows rich and powerful. - Leaves his wife for a younger beauty. - These are the reasons we take certain - blood oaths. - And to have it all vanish because..."

Lilah: "Sir, I can't stress enough. There is no way we could have foreseen this."

Gavin: "She's right, sir. No one could have known."

Cyril sticks his head out of a door just after they walk past it.

We hear a phone ring.

Cyril is on his cell.

Woman's voice: "Hi, you've reached the Tittles. We can't come to the phone right now. If you wanna leave a message for Christine, press one. (man's voice) For Bentley, press two. (Deep, gravely voice) Or to speak to or worship Master Tarfall, Underlord of pain, press three."

Cyril pushes a button.

Cyril: "Master, it's happened. The thing you have foreseen has come to be. We must tell the others."

Break

York, England, night, nine years later

Holtz is sitting in front of a fire. His eyes are closed. We get flashes of fire intermixed with flashes of his family and screaming. Holtz opens his eyes and takes a drink form the pewter mug he is holding. We hear a funky sound effect. Holtz doesn't stir from his seat.

Holtz: "Another step and it'll be your last. If you've come for anything other than a fight, you're in the wrong place."

Male voice: "A fight's exactly what I'm looking for."

Holtz stands up and turns around.

Holtz: "Be a man and who your face."

Out of the shadows steps the demon that brought Holtz to LA.

Sahjhan: "I'm not a man. - What I mean is..."

Holtz takes a closer look at him: "You're not human."

Sahjhan: "But clearly masculine. You get that, right?"

Holtz picks up a pistol and aims it at the demon's breast.

Holtz: "You'll get more than a fight if you don't leave right now."

Sahjhan: "Fine. My mistake. - I just thought you might want help killing Angelus and Darla."

Holtz turns away: "I don't need your help. I'll kill them myself."

Sahjhan: "Not to rain on your parade - but, no, you won't. You'll die a bitter old man and never see them again."

Holtz: "You don't know that."

Sahjhan: "I kinda do. In fact I know that it'll be another two hundred years before you get another chance to confront either Angelus or Darla."

Holtz: "And is this the part of the tale where the demon offers the broken man the chance to change all that?"

Sahjhan: "I'll take you to them. Two centuries into the future."

Holtz: "Through black magic and sorcery."

Sahjhan: "No. On a mule cart. Of course through black magic and sorcery. I'm a demon."

Holtz: "And what do you want from me?"

Sahjhan: "Your word. I want your word that when the time comes you will show them no mercy."

Holtz looks into the dark corners of the room.

Sahjhan: "I don't mean to be pushy, but this is a limited time offer. Say yes, and I'll take you to them this very hour. Say no - and realize the one chance to avenge what they did to your wife and children has slipped away - forever."

Holtz stares at nothing.

Night, emergency entrance of a hospital

Angel is pushing Darla along one of the hospital hallways in a wheelchair.

Angel: "How are you feeling?"

Darla: "I haven't had blood in almost a day, and your devil spawn is trying to rip its way out of my body. How do you think I'm doing?"

A door is pushed open and Cordy motions at Angel.

Cordy whispering: "Psst. Paging Dr. Angel."

Angel pulls Darla's chair through the swinging doors after Cordy.

Wes: "I sent Gunn and Fred to find an ultra-sound machine so we can take a look. Inside Darla, that is."

Angel: "What is this? A classroom?"

Wes: "Yes. It's is a teaching hospital. How are you feeling, Darla?"

Darla doesn't answer.

Angel: "Something wrong?"

Darla: "I think the contractions have stopped."

Angel: "Is that bad?"

Wes walks over and reaches for Darla then pulls back.

Wes: "Do you mind if I..."

Darla: "I won't bite."

Cordy: "No, but that thing inside might."

Wes carefully feels Darla's belly.

Wes: "You may have been experiencing something called Braxton-Hicks contractions. They're a form of false labor."

Darla: "False?"

Wes: "False as in not ready to come out yet."

Darla: "Well, I'm way past ready. I'd cut it out of me if I could."

The door opens and Gunn and Fred wheel in a machine.

Gunn: "Here you go, one ultra-sound machine."

Wes: "Darla, up on the table, please."

Angel: "Don't you wanna see what's inside?"

Darla looks down at her belly.

Holtz is pacing in front of the TVs. A grate slides to the side and the demon enters.

Holtz: "You've kept me here long enough. Where are they?"

Sahjhan: "It's not that simple."

Holtz: "I'm tired of waiting!"

Holtz reaches out to grab the demon, but his hands pass right through it. Holtz pulls his hands back and looks from the to the demon.

Sahjhan: "Like I said - it's not that simple. - Do think I'd go to all this trouble of transporting you two and a half centuries if I could walk up to Angelus and stake him myself? Please! There are rules and timetables and forces at work far greater than either of us. Boy, you vengeful types aren't real good at playing with others, are you?"

The demon passes his hands along the sides of his head and his face turns into that of a human.

Sahjhan: "It's my street face. (A coat lands on Holtz' shoulder) Now put that on. I've lined up some men to help us."

Conference room at Wolfram and Hart. It's crowed. There are people and beings sitting at the table filling out papers. One gray skinned demon is taking a lie detector test.

Man: "Alright then, sir. Are you know or have you ever been a vampire? - Are any of your friends vampires?"

Linwood: "Thank you for coming. And correct me if I'm wrong, but the role of a psychic - is to be psychic. To predict the future, so that Wolfram and Hart doesn't find itself in this kind of predicament."

Bald psychic: "I can't apologize enough, sir."

Linwood: "You're right. You can't. (Laughs) But I'm not without compassion. I'm gonna give you a chance to save your job - and your skin."

Bald psychic smiles relieved, then frowns and leans in a bit closer to Linwood.

Bald psychic: "No, you're not. - You're gonna have me killed."

Linwood puts a hand on his shoulder: "Now, why couldn't you have had that kind of foresight when we needed it?"

Someone puts a plastic bag over the bald guy's head from behind and pulls him away from Linwood.

Mind reader: "They are telling the truth."

Lilah: "Thank you. (Steps up to Linwood) Intelligence is just coming in. No one seems to know *how* Darla could be pregnant. There is a rumor about a prophecy involving a vampire birth, but the Scroll it's recorded on seems to be missing."

Linwood: "Do you have any idea how many groups and cults and organizations would kill to get their hands on this baby? We've got to get it before anybody finds out."

Lilah: "Yes sir. And we will."

Linwood: "We need to get, dissect it, and find out what it means."

Gavin: "Berlin's on the phone for you, sir."

Linwood: "Oh, god. If they've heard about this in Berlin, Singapore and Muncie can't be far behind. Now listen, if the Senior Partners are looking to assign blame, the buck stops here, you understand me?"

Lilah: "Not exactly, sir."

Linwood: "If the Partners are looking to place blame, I'm gonna have to step forward."

Lilah: "That's inspiring, sir."

Linwood: "Yes, I'll step forward and blame you. Darla was resurrected on your watch. I can think of no better scapegoat."

Pats Lilah on the shoulder and leaves while big grin spreads across Gavin's face.

Lilah: "You think this is over? Watch and learn, rookie."

Lilah pulls out her cell phone.

A guy wearing nothing but a turban and a loincloth is meditating in front of a candle with his eyes closed. He lifts one hand and opens it to reveal a crumpled piece of paper. His eyes remain closed and he doesn't move as the paper suddenly bursts into flame and burns up on his palm.

We hear a phone ring. The guy reaches behind him and pulls out a cell phone and answers it without opening his eyes.

Guy: "Yes? - I understand."

Lowers the phone and extinguishes the candlewick between his finger. Stands up and opens his eyes to look at a sword blade leaning against the wall across the room from him.

He holds out his hand and after a beat the sword flies across the room and the handle slaps into his hand.

He whips the blade around the air as if fighting some invisible foes.

Wes is putting jelly on Darla's exposed belly, and turns on the ultrasound machine.

Wes: "Well, then. Let's take a look, shall we? (Looks at the monitor) Well, I haven't studied one of these for quite a while."

Angel: "Isn't that a head?"

Wes: "I think it is. Or is that the head?"

Fred: "Maybe you're both right. (Everyone turns to look at her) It's not like I'm suggesting it's an evil two-headed thing."

Wes moves the sensor around.

Cordy: "I see it."

Darla: "My little parasite."

Wes: "Oh, my..."

Angel: "What is it?"

Wes: "It's - it's human."

Gunn: "Human as is in humanoid? As in cannibalistic humanoid underground dwellers?"

Wes: "No - human as in - a boy."

Angel: "Boy?"

Wes with a slight smile: "A boy. A boy. (To Darla) You're carrying a boy."

Darla: "Great."

Angel: "Gonna have a son. (A slight smile creeps across Angel's face) I'm gonna have a son."

Fred: "Guys. As fascinating as an ultra-sound image of an unborn child may appear..."

Angel: "Me. A father. To a son. You know what that means?"

Fred: "We're surrounded by vampires?"

Angel: "No, it's a human bo..."

Angel trails off as he looks away from the monitor for the first time and notices the vampires lining the teaching gallery above them and the back wall of the room.

Angel: "Oh. We *are* surrounded by vampires."

Cordy: "Ahem - so, who has a plan?"

Gunn: "Don't let 'em kill us sounds like a good first step."

Vampire: "The miracle child."

The other vampires echo him in a whisper.

Vampire: "For his time has come. (All the vamps bow down) Praise be. Praise be. Praise be."

Break

Holtz and Sahjhan walk down the side walk of one of the streets in LA.

Sahjhan: "The buildings are taller, machines more powerful - and you can get really great Tai food at two in the morning. - But the thing to understand is that people are the same today as they were in your day. They drink too much. They fight. They work hard. They fall in love."

Holtz sees a picture of a family pasted on one of the walls.

Holtz: "They have families."

Sahjhan: "Yes, they still have families."

Holtz: "I hope these men you've hired are ruthless bastards."

They walk up to a metal door and Sahjhan knocks on it.

Voice: "Go away!"

Sahjhan: "It's Sahjhan. (To Holtz) This is where we'll get your men. - Very exclusive."

Holtz stands in the club watching a group of gray-skinned demons with upside-down walrus tusks train and fight each other.

Holtz: "These aren't men."

Sahjhan: "Once again: gender - not species. I should have said 'minions.' Have you seen Grappler demons fight? - Not the sharpest pencils in the box, but merciless in battle. - Okay, guys! Over here! Time to meet the new Jefe. And Flarmar, leave the head in the ring, okay?"

Flarmar grunts and drops the head he'd ripped of his opponent earlier.

Sahjhan to Holtz: "Ready to command your troops, captain?"

Holtz: "Any other surprises I should know about?"

We get a close up of Darla's belly then the camera pulls back to show all the vampires kneeling, while AI and Darla stand in the middle of the room watching.

Cordy: "Hey, I'm all for being idolized, but - what the hell is going on?"

Angel: "What do you want?"

Vampire: "To protect the miracle child."

Angel: "Protect? Ah, that's good. We're all here for the same thing."

The guy with the sword that Lilah called earlier suddenly jumps through one of the glass windows above, dressed like a ninja and holding the sword in front of him, screaming 'die!'

The miracle child worshipping vampires jump on him en masse, and he goes down with a strangled scream. We hear a crunch and someone gulping down liquid.

Vampire straightening from his meal: "As it has been prophesied - by our great potentate Ul-thar, we vow our lives to protect this - special child."

Angel aside to Darla: "You hear that? Our kid. Special."

Vampire: "Now let us kill the humans so we may use their blood to nourish the mother - and her miracle child."

Darla, smiling: "Guess I'm getting dinner after all."

Gavin is flipping through some blue prints on a table.

Gavin: "Commander, this should provide your ops team with a solid tactical base. Plan and elevation drawings of every floor in Angel's hotel. I also have strategic surveillance capabilities, so we can monitor the engagement from here."

Commander: "Excellent. I'm confident my men will be able to capture and retrieve the target. The larger question revolves around subsequent extraction of the target's cargo."

Linwood looks from the commander to Gavin.

Gavin quietly: "Getting the baby from Darla."

Linwood: "Of course. And for *that* we have called in an expert."

Lilah walks in followed by a man dressed in black.

Fetanovich: "You flatter me, sir."

Lilah: "Gentlemen, may I introduce Dr. Fetvanovich from our satellite office in the Balkans."

Linwood shakes his hand: "How do you do, doctor?"

Lilah: "Dr. Fetvanovich is the world's foremost specialist in paranormal obstetrics. We are *very* fortunate he's consented to help."

Doctor smiling: "It is I who feel fortunate. A vampire birth is, ah - unprecedented. I look forward to dissecting both the mother and the child."

Angel: "Darla, you might wanna join the fight."

Darla: "Sorry, darling. I'm gonna have to be Switzerland and sit this one out. (To vampires) Now, you did say you were just gonna kill the humans, right?"

Vampire: "Yes, just the humans. Then we will nourish you, slice you open, wear your entrails as a belt and consume your eyeballs before we worship the miracle child."

Darla jumps off the table and goes to stand beside Angel.

Darla: "Okay. I'm in."

Angel: "Gunn, you and I can hold them off for as long as we can. The rest of you, get Darla to the car."

Darla: "Oh, I'd rather stay and fight. Show these youngsters a thing or two about real carnage."

Angel: "That's thoughtful, but, you know, you should go."

Fred: "Charles, do you have an extra dagger I could borrow?"

Gunn pulls out a dagger and hands it to her.

Gunn: "This okay?"

Fred: "Perfect."

Angel: "No my count of three. One, two..."

Fred holds the dagger against Darla's belly.

Fred: "You freaks make one move and I'll slice the miracle kid into triplets."

Cordy: "It's always the quiet ones."

Vampire: "Wait!"

Fred quietly to Darla: "They don't know the knife can't hurt the baby."

Darla: "They do *now.* Vampires have great hearing."

The vampire leader smiles.

Darla: "Here we go."

The vampires attack and a big fight ensues.

Wes: "Everybody out!"

The gang back up towards the door, and begins to file out. Angel is the last to leave, staking one last vamp with a broomstick before following the others.

The camera pans around the dimly lit lobby. Suddenly a commando guy wearing a black ski mask pops up.

Guy into radio: "All clear."

Two more commandos rappel down from the upper story and another group comes in through the front doors, followed by the doctor and his equipment.

Guy: "Lobby secure, sir."

Doctor: "Lets set up out here. - Oh, and get a hose. I'm afraid there might be some blood. - And you can set baby's cage next to mama's."

Break

Gunn is looking out over the back of Angel's as it speeds down a road.

Gunn: "I think we lost them."

Angel: "Anybody hurt?"

Cordy: "Nothing a couple of band aids and a pint of Heathbar crunch can't fix."

Wes: "I'm good."

Angel: "Darla? - Darla, everything okay?"

Darla is sitting in the back between Gunn and Wes, with Wes holding a stake at the ready.

Darla: "Yeah. Fine."

Wes: "You all right?"

Darla: "It's nothing!"

Angel: "It's the kid, isn't it? Seeing him on the monitor."

Darla raises her head and we can see a tear hanging from one of her eyes.

Darla: "No, I'm just disappointed that the vamp cult didn't kill all of you guys. - So, where 're we going? I'm famished and we all know how ugly that can get."

Fred: "Where *are* we going?"

Angel: "Somewhere safe."

Cordy: "Where's safe? The hotel is definitely out."

Gunn: "How about if we go to..."

Angel: "Vegas? Sorry, Gunn, too high profile, but I agree we need to get out of dodge."

Wes: "Actually..."

Cordy: "God! I hate it when you say that word! 'Actually' means that your oversized gi-normous brain thought of something that the rest of us failed to consider, right?"

Wes: "Just, other people seem to know a lot more about this kid's importance than we do. The only thing that can help us is back at the hotel. (To Angel) We can't protect your child unless we get the scrolls."

Angel: "Okay then. Quick stop."

One of the commandos on guard in the yard hears a noise and looks around with his flashlight. When he doesn't find anything he returns to his post, only to be knock out from behind by Holtz.

The doctor is setting out his instruments on a table in the lobby. He lifts up a big curved spatula-like thing, inspects it, then picks up the rake-like thing next to it.

The doctor spins around as a door clicks shut. One of the commandos aims his gun at Holtz as he walks in.

Doctor to Commando: "Is this man with you?"

Holtz: "Where is Angelus?"

Linwood is watching Holtz walk up to the doctor and the commandos closing in on both of them on a little monitor back in the basement at W&H.

Linwood: "Who is this pirate with a sword, and what is he doing in the middle of my operation?"

Lilah: "I don't know, sir. But he called Angel by his old name, Angelus."

Linwood as the monitor begins to crackle: "I need better audio."

Transcriber is fiddling with some wires: "Any second."

Holtz: "Hand over the vampires."

Linwood: "This has gone on long enough. (To radio) I don't care who that man is. Take him out. Take him out now. (Puts down the radio then picks it back up) Over."

Commando on screen: "Take him out!"

The screen fusses out at the commandos close in and the screaming begins.

Gavin: "This should be sweet."

Linwood: "Picture?"

Transcriber: "I'm working on it, sir."

Gavin: "Burke's never lost."

Lilah: "I'm sure it'll be over in just a second."

A prolonged and heartfelt scream resounds from the speakers.

Gavin: "That should do it."

Linwood to radio: "Anybody there? - Over?"

Angel turns the convertible into a dark alley and brings it to a stop.

Cordy: "Why 're we stopping here?"

Angel: "It's only a couple of blocks from the hotel. I'll go the rest of the way on foot."

Cordy slides into the driver seat as Angel gets out and looks up at the surrounding buildings.

Gunn: "Hey, who said you get to be wheel man?"

Cordy: "Who said it had to be a man?"

Angel: "The scrolls?"

Wes: "In the cabinet back in the office."

Angel: "If I'm not back in five minutes, leave without me."

Cordy: "Leave to where?"

Angel: "Anywhere. Somewhere safe."

Darla: "Angel?"

Angel: "Yeah."

Darla after a beat: "Just get out of here."

Angel jumps onto the hood of the car and from there to the bottom rung of a fire-escape ladder and makes his way up the side of the building.

Angel runs along the corridor in the Hyperion, drops down into the lobby and looks around at the destruction of Doctor Fetvanovich's equipment and the bodies of the W&H team. He sees the doctor's body, and chicken feet sticking out of his pants.

Holtz: "Angelus."

Angel turns around and sees Holtz.

Holtz: "I've been looking for you."

Darla is still in the back of the car. Wes is sitting on the trunk facing Fred, standing behind the car. Gunn is sitting on the side of the passenger door.

Cordy starts the car.

Gunn: "He said five minutes!"

Cordy: "It's been six and a half."

Darla: "It's so typical of him."

Fred: "It probably wouldn't hurt to wait another minute, right? I mean, what's the worst thing that could happen in another minute?"

Darla lets out a blood-curdling scream.

Fred: "Ask a stupid question..."

Wes: "Her water's broken. This is for real. There should be a blanket in the trunk."

Cordy: "What are we gonna do? Deliver the kid right here? Shouldn't we go somewhere?"

Fred: "What's keeping Angel?"

Gunn gets the blanket out of the trunk and he and Wes help a screaming Darla to lie down in the back seat while the camera pulls up to give us an overhead view of them.

Previously on Angel:

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

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

Cordy: "Imagine what could have happened if you'd gone nuts and slept with Darla!"

Angel throws Darla through the glass doors.

Angel and Darla on the bed kissing and ripping each others clothes off

Angel: "You know I would never do that."

Angel wakes beside Darla and jerks upright in bed.

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

Shaman: "I can not help you. No one can. This is not meant to be known."

Darla rubbing her pregnant belly: "Well, I guess there's only one thing left to do. Time to go visit daddy."

Rome 1771

Some rats scurry along an underground sewer tunnel. Angelus runs by. He looks behind him and sees a group of monks carrying torches coming his way. Turns a corner, only to see other torch carrying groups of monks down a couple other branches.

Angelus comes up on a sewer grate. He pulls the center grating loose, steps through, then wedges it back in place behind him.

As he turns, he stumbles, tumbles down the slanting tunnel, crashes through another grate and lands on the floor of some underground chamber lit by torches. He is surrounded by monks with crossbows aimed at him.

A pair of double doors swing open behind him, letting in bright sunlight. Angelus throws himself to the ground out of the direct light surrounded by a thin cloud of smoke.

A rider brings his horse to a stop just inside the doors and dismounts. One of the monks leads the horse away as the rider makes his way over to a red robbed priest, while Angelus is picks himself up from the floor.

Holtz: "Mille grazie, Monsignore. Sono nel vostro debito."

Subtitles: "Thank you, Monsignor. I am in your debt."

Monsignor (st): "No, this animal murdered your family. (Points at Angelus) Hold the beast!"

Chains wrap around Angelus upper arms and chest.

Holtz steps closer to Angelus: "Monsignor Rivalli, performed the ceremony when Caroline and I were wed. You remember Caroline?"

Angelus: "Pretty lass. Hearty screamer."

Holtz: "The good monsignor has since then been excommunicated. The order he founded, Inquisitore, adheres to the old beliefs. They're traditionalists and quite good at their work. Let's get started, shall we?"

Holtz takes a sharp hook and some knives from one of the monks. We see the hook digging into the side of Angelus' neck, hear some cloth ripping.

Angelus: "Ah. Aah!"

We see the sun rise and set while hearing Angelus' screams in the background.

The monsignor is walking cross the room, reading a book. Holtz is sitting on a bench, drinking from a cup. We hear some monks recite in the background and Angelus gasping in pain.

Holtz: "You lost me in North Africa. I knew you'd come back to Europe, but *Rome* Angelus? (Gets up and walks around Angelus, suspended from the ceiling by chains around his wrists) Why in Gods name would you come to the seat of all that's holy?"

Angelus: "Darla - she loves the Sistine chapel."

Holtz: "Michelangelo?"

Angelus: "Not him. She's mad about Botticelli's frescos. (Groans) The Temptation of Christ is her favorite - probably because of the leper. (Sighs) What do you want, Holtz?"

Holtz picks up a three-pronged claw and looks at it.

Holtz: "I don't want anything. My family is gone. I don't trust you to give me Darla, although I *will* find her, you know that. My only desire here - is to discover if a thing such as yourself can be made to pay for its sins. (Holtz digs the claw-thingy in somewhere below Angelus waist (off screen) and Angelus groans in pain) You're a demon. It is your nature to maim and kill. But you were also once a man. If we beat and burn the demon out of your living flesh, will there be anything left? (Holtz digs the claw in again and Angelus groans in pain) Anything at all? I doubt it. But I'm willing to spend the next fortnight of my life finding out. - In either event - you have no soul, you can not be saved."

A flaming arrow streaks across the room and buries itself in one of the monks.

Darla: "Sorry it took me so long darling."

Darla is standing in a tunnel opening, holding a crossbow loaded with another flaming arrow. There are other vampires with her.

Darla: "Kill them."

Darla fires her flaming bolt, hitting Holtz in the shoulder. The vampires streak past her and attack the monks. Several vampires get staked by the monks during the fight, but that doesn't slow the rest of them down.

Monsignor confronts Darla with a cross held in front of him.

Monsignor: "Vai' all inferno, demonio lordo! (caption) Go to hell foul demon!"

Darla pushes the cross aside, then sends the Monsignor flying into a wall.

Darla: "No, grazie, padre."

The double doors that Holtz rode in through is pulled down and a horse and carriage driven by a blanket shrouded vampire trot in.

Darla unclips Angelus chains. Two other vampires catch him under the arms and drop him onto the back of the cart. Holtz tries to get up. Darla knocks him across the chin, then joins a groaning Angelus on the cart.

Angelus: "Darlin'?"

Darla: "What?"

Angelus: "Shouldn't we be killing Holtz?"

Darla: "I know, but it's just so much fun ruining his life. He's like family now."

Angelus pulls Darla into a kiss as a vampire covers them with a tarp. The wagon heads out into the sunlight, with the blanket shrouded vamp at the reins.

A public bus (Downtown LA - Hollywood) pulls over to the side of a dark and deserted street in LA.

Darla: "Right here is fine. (To bus driver) Thanks for the lift. That didn't take long at all. (Gets off the bus) And they say there is no public transportation in LA."

The bus driver turns slowly and looks towards the back of the bus. Three passengers are slumped in their seats with twin puncture wounds visible on their necks. Four other people are huddled down in the back of the bus.

Bus driver fumbles out his radio: "Help! We got a code twelve on the 5-8 line! We need help here now, for god's sake. Now!"

Darla walks away across the street.

Intro

Cordy is arranging some flowers in a vase down in the basement of the Hyperion. Angel walks into the training area and sees that there are several vases of them scattered around the room.

Angel: "What's this?"

Cordy: "Oh, it's just so dark and lifeless down here, I thought I'd brighten it up a little for you. (Angel picks up one of the vases) You can't exactly go out and enjoy the sunny fields of nature, but that doesn't mean we can't bring a little bloom into your darkness."

Angel: "They're fake."

Cordy: "Yeah. You put something real in this hellhole and it die (snaps her fingers) like that."

Angel puts the flowers down, looking at Cordy.

Cordy: "Thank you, Cordelia?"

Angel: "You know, I've been around a long time..."

Cordy: "Which reminds me. Next birthday, you think we could skip the two-hundred and fifty odd candles on the cake and the inevitable fire marshal and just go and just go with a little song?"

Angel: "And I've never known anyone like you."

Cordy: "Well, duh! Times a wasting, big guy. Can we do it? (Takes on a stance) Hi-yeah!"

Angel chuckling: "Okay. Last time we were working on not pulling your punches and your kicks. Right? Don't worry about me. (Cordy hits him and he deflects the punch with his arm) That's good. (Cordy swipes at him again) Good! Where is your weight? (Angel looks down) Balls of your feet?"

Cordy swings and hits him across the face full force.

Cordy: "Oops! Oh god, you said that... (Angel straightens back up, smiling) Are you okay?"

Angel: "I'm a vampire. You can't hurt me. Good."

Angel turns away from her and makes a face, gingerly feeling his nose.

Cordy: "You're off your game. It's because of the prophecy Wes and Gunn are trying to get their hands on. You think the end is coming."

Angel turns back to face her: "The end is not coming. Someone is always uncovering some ancient scroll, and they're always saying the same thing: that something terrible is coming. Do you know how many of these things I've seen in my very long life?"

Cordy: "Four?"

Angel: "Three. But there's nothing to worry about."

Cordy: "Then way are Gunn and Wesley breaking and entering right now?"

Angel: "Breaking and entering is such a negative term. They are simply retrieving some missing pieces from the Nyazian Scroll. Just to make sure..."

Cordy: "That the end is coming. - Well, all we can do is live each moment to the fullest and be grateful that we didn't throw too much money at the NASDAQ."

Angel blinking his eyes and lifting a hand towards his face: "Am I swelling?"

Camera sweeps over some big houses, surrounded by big gardens on a sunny plateau with some mountains in the background. Pans past some old oil paintings and statuary to show Wes, dressed in black, sneaking up on the window and look into the window from outside. Wes motions and Gunn walks up beside him.

Wes: "Step one: Dobermans are happily gnawing on the steak. Alarm and vid lines are disabled (pulls out a scanner and looks at its display) no infrared. Caught a break there. Step two: we cut a hole in the glass, snake in the mini-cam and scan the interior."

Gunn walks over to look in the glass door while Wes pulls glasscutter with a suction cup out of his duffel bag and attaches it to the window.

Wes: "If it's all clear, we disable the locks and bolts on the side door thus completing... (Gunn tries the door and it swings open) ...step three."

Wes closes up his duffel and moves over to follow Gunn inside, then hurries back to detach the suction cup from the window and stow it in his bag while Gunn waits for him inside.

Wes hurries in and motions for Gunn to close the patio door.

They open the doors into an adjacent room, in which all sorts of things are on display.

Gunn looks around and whistles.

Wes: "Can you believe this?"

Gunn looking around: "Some guys collect old cars, some guys collect..."

Gunn flinches back as he spots a misshapen, one-eyed demon head in a glass case. Then he and Wes lean in for a closer look.

Gunn: "It's like - the eye follows you wherever you go."

Wes walks over to a bottle sitting on a pedestal, pulls out the stopper and takes a sniff before closing it again.

Wes: "Alright. If you were the priceless remnants of the lost Nyazian Scroll, where would you be?"

Gunn: "If I was priceless - I'd be in the vault."

Wes: "The vault? Your snitch never said anything about a vault!"

Gunn: "I got a bad feeling about this."

Wes: "We figure something out. It's just a - vault."

Gunn: "Actually my bad feeling is more about the man standing behind you with the large revolver."

Wes turns to see a guy standing in the door aiming a gun at them.

Man: "Move and I'll kill you.

The man edges into the room and reaches for the telephone with one hand while still aiming the gun at them with the other.

Wes: "I hope you're calling the police."

Man: "You bet I am."

Wes: "Good. You can explain to them why you keep so much GHB on hand. (Wes walks over to the bottle on the pedestal) You know, Rohypnol, the date rape drug."

Man: "What?"

Wes indicates the bottle: "Muslok Trancing Amalgam. Under the microscope it's virtually indistinguishable from GHB."

The man slowly puts the receiver back down.

Man: "Alright. I won't call the police."

Wes: "I'm glad we understand each other."

Man: "Until after I kill you."

Wes: "Oh."

Gunn picks up four red glass balls out of a bowl on another stand.

Gunn: "Hey, these worth a lot?"

Man: "Yes. They're Cyopian conjuring spheres."

Gunn: "How much? Four figures each? Five? (Starts to juggle two of the balls with one hand) More?"

Man: "Stop that!"

Gunn: "Put the weapon down."

When the man hesitates, Gunn lets one of the balls drop and it shatters with a liquid splash as it hits the floor.

Gunn: "Kind of delicate. (Juggles the remaining three with both hands) Look, we're not thieves, we're investigators. Now, we need to look at your Nyazian Scrolls. Put the weapon down, because - I'm getting kind of tired here."

Man: "Alright!"

Man puts the revolver down on a glass case and Wes retrieves it.

Gunn drops another ball (the owner lets out a fearful gasp) only to bounce it off his foot and catch it again.

Gunn: "I always wanna give them a big finish.

Fred comes down the basement stairs of the Hyperion.

Cordy: "Ow. That doesn't feel right."

Angel: "Just relax. You have to bend."

Cordy: "I don't bend there. - Okay. Now that's downright unnatural."

Angel: "I know it feels strange, but if an attacker comes at you from behind, you wanna be able to shift all your weight immediately to your other foot so you can spin and kick. Here, you try it."

Cordy spins and kicks up against Angel's chest. Angel catches her, one arm around her leg another around her waist to keep her from falling.

Angel: "Whoa! Easy. Alright. That's alright. (Lowers her leg and lets go of her) That's better. We'll keep - working on it. Okay. That's probably enough for today."

Cordy: "Yeah, well, we could do more of it, but then I'd have to ice every bone in my body. See you."

Cordy walks towards the stairs, one hand pressed against the small of her back.

Cordy: "Hey, Fred."

Fred: "Hey! - Kye-rumption."

Cordy walking up the stairs: "Well - back at you."

Angel: "What did you say?"

Fred: "Kye-rumption. It's the one nice word I remember from the Pylean hell dimension."

Angel: "What's it mean?"

Fred: "It's when two great heroes meet on the field of battle and recognize their mutual fate. It's also a kind of grog made out of the ox dung but that's archaic."

Angel: "Oh, ah, that's interesting."

Fred: "When I see you and Cordelia sparring Kye-rumption always comes to mind."

Angel after a beat: "Me and Cordelia."

Fred: "I know. She's such a hero, with the visions and the courage. It's only natural that you and she would be drawn to one another. - Oh! Plastic flowers! (Hurries over to one of the vases) My favorite! They never fade, you know."

Angel: "Oh, whoa, wait a minute. There's nothing going on between me and Cordelia."

Fred: "Nothing but Moira."

Angel: "Who's Moira?"

Fred: "Moira is the gut physical attraction between two larger than life souls."

Angel: "Ha. No, there is no attraction. Cordelia is a friend. Someone I work with. That's all."

Fred grinning: "See? You're being chivalrous. Because you 're a hero, just like her. You got Kye-rumption!"

Angel: "Stop using that word!"

Wes: "What's going on down here?"

Angel: "Nothing."

Wes: "I believe Fred's been through enough recently without people shouting at her."

Fred: "He didn't mean anything by it."

Wes just stands there, looking at the floor.

Angel: "Is there something you wanted?"

Wes: "Yes. (Looks at Fred) Gunn and I were hoping you could give us a hand with the Nyazian Prohecies. We need someone who can do the math."

Fred: "Sure!"

Fred starts up the stairs.

Wes looks around: "Who gave you all the flowers?"

Angel: "Nobody."

Gunn is throwing darts at a board in the office at the Hyperion. Wes is sitting at the desk, writing. Fred is sitting beside him, working on the laptop. Cordy is at her own desk.

Gunn: "So, how are you doing there, Fred?"

Fred: "Oh, it's a simple equation, really. The ancient Roman calendar has fourteen hundred and sixty-four days in a four-year cycle. The Etruscan, Sumerian, and Druidian each have their own cycles. You work forward from the presumed day of the prophecy under each calendar, factoring in our own three hundred and sixty-five day calendar and accounting for a three day discrepancy for every four years and..."

Angel walks into the lobby, he sees Cordy sitting at her desk and stops before anyone notices he's there.

Fred: "Oh. - That can't be right. - Unless the world ended last March."

Gunn: "So, are we talking Armageddon - or bad house number? (Sits down in the chair in front of Wes desk) Is it a bad event - or a bad guy?"

Wes: "It's not clear on that. It predicts the arrival or arising of the Tro-clan, the person or being that brings about the ruination of mankind."

Gunn: "So it's a two for one. Isn't that nice."

Wes: "And I'm not sure on the translation. Ruination may in fact mean purification."

Gunn: "Purification? So this Tro-clan is a good thing?"

Wes: "I doubt that. But it's purification in Aramaic, ruination in ancient Greek and in the lost Ga-shundi language it means both."

Cordy: "And you don't want to make the same mistake twice."

Cordy looks up from her desk at Wes, who looks down at his papers.

Wes: "No."

Fred: "What mistake?"

Wes: "There was another prophecy a while back. It seemed to be about Angel and contained the word 'Shanshu' which I thought meant to die and I - sort of told Angel..."

Cordy: "...that we was going to die."

Fred: "Oh, no."

Wes: "Then I found out it also meant to live. It meant to die and to live."

Fred: "So - which is it?"

Wes: "Both. In his case it meant that some day the vampire in him might die, but the human in him might live."

Angel is standing at a corner in the lobby, listening.

Fred: "That he would be like a normal man?"

Angel slowly lifts his head and looks at Cordy working at her desk.

Wes: "Yes."

Fred: "Wow. What would we do if that happened?"

Cordy: "I'd buy him some plaid shirts and take him to the beach. The boy needs some color."

Fred goes back to typing on the laptop.

Fred: "There. That came out better. - Oh. No it didn't. It's still very preliminary, but - if these calculations are correct, this bad thing should already be here. (Looks around) Well, I-I guess not right here, but - here in LA."

Angel walks into the reception area and sits down.

Fred: "Let me run these numbers again."

Cordy: "Hey."

Angel: "Hey."

Cordy after a while: "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Angel: "Ah, no reason."

After a moment Cordy gets up and walks past Angel to pour a cup of coffee.

Cordy: "Okay. It's getting creepy now."

Angel: "I was just thinking about things. - People. You know. How they relate. Take you and me for instance. We're very different. *Very* different. Obviously (points at Cordy) human (points at himself) vampire. (points a Cordy) Woman (points at himself) man...pire."

Cordy: "Has someone been putting vodka in your blood?"

Angel laughs: "See? You're funny! And I, well I get off a good one every once in a while, but you..."

Cordy, sipping her coffee: "Angel, are you trying to say you love me?"

Angel: "What?"

Cordy: "I love you too."

Angel: "You do? When did this..."

Cordy yells towards Wes open office door: "Angel loves me. I love him."

Angel: "Oh, my god!"

Cordy: "You guys love us and we love you."

Fred, Wes and Gunn chorus: "We love you Angel."

Cordy: "They were all saying it earlier. Just in case this prophecy comes true and we all die. - You're not gonna wanna hug, are you?"

Angel clears his throat and sits back shaking his head: "No."

Cordy goes back to her desk: "God knows we've been through a lot together."

Angel: "That's really all I was trying to say, that we've been through so much together, you and me, as *friends.* You've seen the - good, - and the not so good."

Cordy: "Just like you have in me. And for the record: the good I've seen far outweighs the bad."

Angel after a beat: "Thanks. You, too."

Cordy: "Hey, what are friends for?"

Darla: "If you ask me, they're for knocking you up and leaving you high and dry."

Angel spins around to see a very pregnant Darla standing on the top landing leading down into the lobby from outside.

Darla: "Hello, lover. Long time no see."

Break

Angel: "Darla."

Cordy: "Darla?"

Wes: "Darla!"

Fred: "Who's Darla?"

Gunn: "Angel's old flame from way back."

Fred: "Not the one that died?"

Gunn: "Yeah. No, not that one. The other one that died and came back to life. She's a vampire."

Fred: "Y'all have a chart or something?"

Gunn: "In the files. I'll get it for you later."

Angel: "Well, when did this happen?"

Darla comes down the steps: "You know *exactly* when it happened."

Cordy: "Angel - did - you and Darla...?"

Angel: "Uh..."

Cordy turns to look at him.

Angel: "This is impossible."

Darla: "Tell me about it - daddy!"

Cordy: "You slept with her?"

Angel: "Vampires can't have children. Wesley?"

Wes: "Ah, no, he's right. It's not possible."

Cordy: "That's not what I asked."

Darla: "You know we can't. I know we can't. But - we did."

Fred: "I wonder if this might not be that bad thing we were expecting."

Darla: "What did you do to me?"

She hits Angel across the face and he stumbles back against the weapons cabinet behind him.

Cordy steps between Angel and Darla: "Stop that!"

Angel: "It's okay. It's alright. I'm okay."

Cordy: "You'll hurt her! Haven't you done enough? (Turns to Darla) Here, sit down. You should get off your feet."

Cordy leads Darla over to the round settee, then looks back at the others.

Cordy: "Can we get her some water?"

Fred turns to go get it.

Angel: "Cordy that's *Darla.* Maybe you don't want to..."

Cordy: "Did you or did you not look me in the eye and say that you would *never* do a thing like this with her?"

Darla: "Oh, he lied? What a surprise."

Fred carrying a glass of water: "Hi. I'm Fred. Is water okay, or did you want some blood?"

Darla takes the water as Wes gently pulls Fred back away from Darla.

Angel: "Cordy. I'm sorry - I lied. It was just - it was a very dark time."

Cordy: "Oh! You used her to make *you* feel better during *your* dark time. Well, that makes it *all* heroic."

Angel: "It wasn't like that. It just - happened. It wasn't like I went *evil* or anything, I just..."

Cordy: "You just went male. (brushes the hair out of Darla's face) Have you been to a doctor."

Darla gives her a look: "No. But I have been to every shaman and seer in the Western Hemisphere."

Wes: "And what did they say?"

Darla: "They don't know what it is. They don't know what it means. Nothing like this has ever happened."

Angel: "Maybe it's an hysterical pregnancy."

Darla: "You wanna feel it kick?"

Cordy: "Does it kick a lot?"

Darla: "Like crazy."

Angel: "well, now wouldn't that be the first sign of... (Cordy gives him a look) ...hysteria?"

Cordy: "What can we do for you?"

Darla: "Well, you can get you little gang of supernatural detectives to find out what the hell is happening to me and how to stop it."

Cordy looking at Darla: "Are you gonna take some responsibility here? (Looks up at Angel) Angel?"

Angel: "Oh, me? - Of course I am. - Wes, lets get on this right now."

Wes: "What do you suggest?"

Angel: "I suggest you use your books and find out what's going on. What, do I have to think of everything?"

Wes picks up a book from the counter and opens it.

Wes: "Oh, here it is."

Darla straightens up in her seat and Angel walks over to Wes.

Wes: "It says 'I have absolutely no idea what's going on.' (Closes the book) We should talk to the host."

Lorne: "Oh, this is all wrong."

The camera pulls back and we see that he is looking at two people holding up a modern painting.

Lorne: "Try it on the back wall. Far away from where folks might be eating."

Muses: "Violence abounds, violence restrain, this space a sanctuary was and shall be again."

Lorne: "That's great girls. - Hey, Arnie, why 're you charging me twelve hundred over the estimate here?"

Arnie: "Had to run a separate two twelve to the security box. Double insulation everywhere in the building. Plus, we had a run on Kek bile and Bin-der glands. And you know what you said: 'This club's my baby. I want top drawer through out."

Angel: "Lorne! You here? - You got to help me. We got (looks back at the others filing in behind him) kind of a situation on our hands."

Muses: "Mmm, Angel."

Cordy: "And here we have three more of Angel's chippies. You girls are on the pill I hope."

Muses: "Mmm."

Angel smiles and waves at them then walks over to lean in close to Lorne.

Angel: "What are they doing here?"

Lorne: "They're here to help recast the sanctuary spell to prevent violence in the club. And this time I'm covering demons *and* humans. I'm opening the club again. I know I was blue for a pretty long time. If it'd gone on much longer I would have turned aquamarine. (Lorne is the only one laughing) And now that the ice is broken (turns to Darla) what happened here?"

Darla: "What's it look like?"

Cordy: "Angel boned her."

Angel: "Just once. Just the one night. Ah, just the two or three one times that one night..."

Fred: "Is Angel gonna sing?"

Gunn: "Oh!"

Wes: "I suppose he has to."

Cordy: "She's carrying the baby!"

Darla grabs Lorne by the lapels, pulls herself in close and starts to sing: "Oh, Danny boy.... What the hell's inside me?"

Lorne: "Oh, no, no, no. We're way past singing, mes enfants. This is a brand new day here. (To the club at large) Alright every body, that's a wrap! (People and demons start filing out) We'll finish the spell tomorrow. We got a little crisis brewing. Thanks for coming! Check's in the mail! Get the hell out."

Muses, speaking in turn: "Bye Angel, come see us soon. Mmm..."

Cordy: "Men!"

Lorne: "This is way beyond my ken - and my Barbie and *all* my action figures. If it's alive..."

Darla: "Oh, it's alive! And kicking!"

Lorne: "It could be anything. A child born to two vampires..."

Gunn: "Maybe it's some kind of 'ueber'- vamp."

Wes: "The Nyazian prophecies mention a Tro-clan."

Fred: "That's supposed to be here about now."

Lorne: "Born out of darkness to bring darkness."

Angel: "Great. So, we're saying that my child is - the scourge of mankind?"

Darla moans.

Cordy: "You guys are upsetting her! (To Lorne) I think she needs to lie down."

Lorne: "Yeah, of course. She can have my bedroom."

Lorne and Cordy help Darla up and start to lead her towards the back of the club. When Angel starts to follow Cordy stops him.

Cordy: "We can handle it."

Cordy and Lorne lead Darla into Lorne's bedroom.

Cordy: "I think we should call a doctor."

Darla: "It'll pass. I just have to - let it."

Darla lets herself drop onto the bed and Cordy sits down on the edge of it beside her.

Cordy: "I'll stay with her."

Lorne: "If you need anything, just holler."

Cordy: "Okay."

Lorne leaves the room.

Angel: "I don't accept this. These stupid prophecies, you can always interpret them a hundred ways from Sunday. How do we even know your calculations are correct?"

Fred: "I don't. I'm still working on them."

Gunn: "Well, we do know that Darla is pregnant with something!"

Angel: "That's biologically impossible."

Lorne: "And mystically unfair. You've fought long and hard for good. If your destiny is to spawn something evil..."

Angel: "I don't see how anything spawned by Darla and me could be good."

Wes: "You know the first prophecy that said that the vampire with a soul would be pivotal in the battle between good and evil?"

Gunn: "That Shanshu one?"

Wes: "Maybe it's not you. Maybe your child is a pivotal figure. Maybe your destiny is simply to help bring to the world."

Angel after a beat: "Or to stop it."

Fred: "Can I say something about destiny?- Screw destiny! If this evil thing comes we'll fight it, and we'll keep fighting it until we whoop it. 'cause destiny is just another word for inevitable and nothing's inevitable as long as you stand up, look it in the eye, and say 'your evitable!' - Well, you- you catch my drift."

Lorne: "Wow. I like her so much!"

Angel: "I wanna see these prophecies myself, and your calculations, Fred, and anything else we got on this."

Fred: "Why don't I go back to the hotel and get everything?"

Wes: "Good idea. We put our heads together and figure out a way to fight this thing."

Fred leaves and Angel turns to Lorne.

Angel: "How's she doing?"

Lorne: "Well, she's weary. The poor thing looks like she's about eighteen months pregnant. Hope they're not twins."

Angel: "Not her. Cordelia."

Lorne: "Oh, ah, I sense that she's - hurt and *pissed* what with the lying and deception and ecetera. You should probably stay out of her way for a while, huh?"

Cordy: "How're you feeling?"

Darla: "Just crazy."

Cordy: "What?"

Darla: "Why would anyone bring something into this world?"

Cordy: "I was pregnant once. (Laughs and holds out a hand) I was out to here - overnight! Mystical thing. I didn't go to term, but while it lasted, hooh! Talk about uncomfortable! Your back and legs hurt all the time and first you're sick to your stomach and you can't eat anything and then your ravenous! Are you able to eat or do you just..."

Darla levers herself up: "What? Drink?"

Cordy: "Well, it's - really none of my business, is it? - You should rest (Cordy gets up) and I should (starts to walk towards the door) I'll just be real close by. If there is anything that you need... (Darla morphs into vampface) Anything at all..."

Cordy is about to open the door, but Darla is suddenly there, holding the door shut.

Darla: "I'm hungry all the time. It's weird."

Cordy: "Sure. You're eating for two now. It's only natural."

Darla: "No, what's weird is - no matter how much I feed - I can't seem to get full."

Cordy punches Darla hard across the face. Follows it up with a second punch, then pulls out a cross to ward Darla off.

Cordy: "Pregnant or not, you're *going* to keep your distance."

Darla bats the cross aside, grabs Cordy and throws her across the room against a table. Then she clamps a hand over Cordy's mouth to prevent her from screaming and sinks her teeth into the side of Cordy's neck.

Break

As Darla bites her, Cordy gets hit by a vision. Darla backs away from her for a moment while we see flashes of some arcade, then lunges back in - only to get pulled back away by Angel.

Angel: "Get away from her!"

Angel picks Cordy up and carries over to the bed.

Angel: "You're gonna be alright. You're gonna be alright."

Cordy holding the side of her neck: "Ouch!"

Angel presses a cloth over the neck wound.

Angel: "Cordy, you're gonna be all right. I'll kill her for this."

Cordy panting: "You're gonna have to find her first."

Angel looks around. Darla is gone.

Out in the club the others are just picking themselves back up, when Angel comes out, carrying Cordy in his arms.

Angel: "She bit Cordy."

Lorne: "Oh, sweetie, are you alright?"

Angel: "No. Where is she?"

Wes: "She got away."

Gunn: "We tried to stop her by hitting her fists and feet with our faces, but..."

Angel: "We'll take Cordy to a safe place and we'll take care of Darla."

Hyperion, night, Cordy is lying on a bed with Angel sitting beside her.

Angel: "Are you feeling any better?"

Cordy: "Yeah. You don't have to stay with me."

Angel: "Gunn's gonna be right here."

Cordy lifts her head to look at Gunn: "Thanks."

Angel: "I'm not gonna keep telling you how sorry I am. I'm gonna tell you - that she'll never do it again."

Cordy: "It was my fault, Angel. I felt sorry for her. She looked so helpless - like a mother. - I forgot what she really was. - I'm starting to feel the pills."

Angel gets up and backs away from the bed as Cordy's eyes drift closed.

Angel quietly to Gunn: "You see Darla anywhere in range..."

Gunn: "I'll take care of it."

Angel turns to go.

Cordy sits up: "Wait! - When she bit me I had a vision. I almost forgot."

Angel comes back and sits back down on the edge of the bed.

Angel: "What did you see?"

Cordy: "It was like no vision I ever had before. - She's so hungry. - She doesn't know how to make the hunger stop. - I think I know where she's headed."

Angel is arming himself from the weapons cabinet.

Wes: "I'm not speaking to you as the boss, because I know you wouldn't listen, but you shouldn't do this alone."

Angel: "I *have* to do this alone."

Wes: "Angel, a normal vampire is strong, and Darla wasn't normal before this. She took down the host, Gunn, and me without even breaking stride. She's stronger than all of us right now, including you, because of what's in her."

Angel: "I know. I put it there."

Angel turns away and hurries out.

Wes: "Why does he think he has to do everything alone?"

Fred: "I think he just can't bear to have us see him do it."

Wes: "Kill Darla? She did try to kill Cordy - and she's a vampire."

Fred: "Who is carrying his child. The one thing he can never have, even if he lives forever."

A busy arcade, there are kids and noise everywhere. A little blond boy stands in the middle of the confusion, looking around.

Boy: "Mommy? - Mommy? - Mommy?"

Darla: "What's wrong, honey? Lost your mommy? (Boy nods) Let's go find her together, hm?"

The boy nods and takes her hand. Darla turns to lead him away.

Woman: "You're a brave woman! (Darla stops and looks over her shoulder) About to have one, taking another one out to play."

Darla: "Oh. I love children. I could just - eat them up."

Darla and the woman smile at each other and go their separate ways.

Break

Cordy is sleeping on the bed, dreaming of Darla biting her and getting the vision. She jerks awake with a gasp.

Gunn comes over and sits down on the edge of the bed.

Gunn: "Hey, hey! It's alright. It's just a dream, okay? I'm right here. She can't hurt you."

Cordy: "I have to talk to Wes."

Cordy is pacing in Wes' office.

Cordy: "It was a dream, but - it was more like a vision."

Wes: "About what?"

Cordy: "About what's inside Darla. (Sits down) This Tro-clan thing - the prophecies say that it will be born - or it will arise?"

Wes: "It says both. The middle English eyrizan and the Gothic urreisan, both mean to appear, to spring up."

Fred: "Angel's not answering his phone. Should I leave a message on his voice mail?"

Cordy: "He doesn't know how to use his voice mail. Just try his pager."

Wes: "There is also a reference to the Tro-clan being boren, which is pretty plain middle English for being born, to bear."

We hear a pager go off. Gunn checks his belt, then gets up and walks over and pulls Angel's pager out of the pocket of the coat hanging in the corner of Wes' office.

Gunn: "Well, we found Angel's beeper."

Wes: "What is it, Cordy? What is the vision trying to tell you?"

Cordy: "I think they're trying to tell me *why* Darla is craving younger victims."

Darla is crouched in front of the little boy in a deserted corner of the arcade.

Boy: "Ma'am, I don't think my mom is back here."

Darla: "Are you sure? Did you look?"

The boy looks around.

Boy: "I don't see anybody."

He turns back to see that Darla has morphed and lets out a scream. Angel runs across some of the arcade games and tackles Darla against the wall and slams the stake in his hand towards her heart. Darla puts up a hand to ward it off the stake pierces her hand until it comes out on the other side.

The boy runs away screaming, straight into his mother's arms out in the crowd.

Mother: "There you are! (Catches him up in her arms and hugs him close) Where have you been? How many times have I told you not to wander off!"

Darla tosses Angel out from the deserted section. The mother's eyes widen as Angel lands on top of some tables, over turning them. People in the crowd see Darla follow him out, still wearing her vampface and turn to run away, screaming.

Darla pulls the stake out of her right palm and lets it drop as she walks towards Angel.

Darla: "You *so* want to play the good guy, don't you? Yeah. You're the good guy who did *this* to me."

Hauls back and knocks Angel across the face, slamming him against one of the games.

Darla: "You may have the face, but you don't know the hunger! It pounds! You can't make it go away! You can't stop it!"

Angel: "I'll stop it!"

He hauls back and hits Darla. The two of them fight. In the end Angel manages to grab Darla by the throat and push her up against the wall.

Darla: "How could you put this in me? I *hate* you!"

Darla hits him again, but Angel refuses to let go of her throat.

Darla: "They breathe. They breathe and pound. I don't breathe, you idiot! You can't strangle me!"

Darla laughs.

Angel: "I'm not gonna strangle you."

Angel pulls her away and slams her back up against the wall, pulling out another stake.

Darla: "Come on! Do it! (Angel hesitates) Do it!"

Angel slowly lowers the stake and looks down at Darla's belly. We hear a heartbeat. Angel slowly steps back from Darla. Darla lunges, grabs a hold of Angel's jacket and shakes him.

Darla: "Do it! Do it! Make it stop!"

Angel gently restrains her, wrapping her tightly in his arms and pulling her up against his chest.

Angel: "No it won't, Darla. Darla, listen to me."

Darla: "Make it stop! Make it stop."

Angel: "The child. The child has a heartbeat. It has a soul."

Darla flailing wildly: "No! Not my child! No!"

Angel: "Our child. Ourchild. Our child. That's why you've been craving purer and purer blood. That's why it's been driving you out of your mind. It has a soul."

Darla collapses against Angel's chest, sobbing: "No, it doesn't."

Angel holding her: "It does."

Darla: "It can't."

Angel quietly: "Yes, it does. It does."

Angel helps Darla to lay back down on a bed in the Hyperion and hands her a mug.

Angel: "Here, drink this."

Darla takes a gulp then makes face.

Darla: "Pig's blood?"

Angel: "You need to keep yourself nourished. You'll get used..."

Darla throws the pug against the wall, shattering it and splashing the wall with blood.

Angel: "You're not alone in this anymore. We'll deal with this together."

Darla: "Gosh. I'm the luckiest vampire girl in the whole world. - Get away from me."

Angel gets up: "Try and get some sleep."

Darla: "How's Cordy? She wanna come up and visit?"

Laughs.

Angel walks up to Gunn, standing in the door holding a loaded crossbow.

Angel: "She goes near Cordy, or Fred..."

Gunn lifting the bow: "I know."

Angel: "Don't underestimate her. The woman is stronger than all of us right now."

Angel walks down into the lobby and sees Cordy and Wes leaning over an open book on the reception counter together.

Angel: "You're not to go near Darla for any reason without me, Gunn, and a lot of crossbows standing between you. You understand?"

Cordy: "Oh, yeah. And if I forget (indicates the bandage on the side of her neck) I have a nice little reminder."

Angel: "That goes for you, too, Fred."

Fred looks up from the laptop: "Gotcha."

Angel goes to sit down on the settee in the middle of the lobby and Cordy walks over to him.

Cordy: "So, I guess you're gonna be a father."

Angel after a beat: "Guess I am."

Cordy: "I felt it in my dream. The same thing you did - when you found her. (Sits down beside him) It has a soul."

Wes: "Well, Angel has a soul. It makes sense. As much as any of this does."

Angel looks down at his folded hands.

Wes: "Angel, even with a soul, she could give birth to what's spoken of in the prophecies."

Angel looks at Wes: "The thing that's coming to kill and burn us all? - I know that. - I also know the child is mine."

Wes: "Right."

Cordy: "Well! Another big fun day at Angel Investigations. (Gets up) What do you say we pour ourselves a good stiff..."

Fred: "Uh-oh."

Cordy: "A good, stiff uh-oh?"

Fred: "Remember before when I said I thought that maybe, possibly, perhaps I might have been off in my earlier calculations? And you asked Wes if he thought if the Tro-clan was prophesied to arise or be born and he said it could be both? And we all know that the Latin for arrive is arripare, to come to land or possibly in this instance simply to come to, as from a deep sleep?"

Angel, Wes: "Fred!"

Fred: "Right. I believe that whatever this thing is, it's arriving right about (looks down at a watch) three, two, now."

A busy section of LA, night, people are walking past, talking. The camera sinks through the ground down into a round chamber, lit by fires in the alcoves along the wall. The ceiling is supported by a circle of pillars.

A stone statue and two bowls holding more flames are set up, forming an equal triangle inside the circle of pillars.

A demon walks in and stops in front of the statue.

Sahjhan: "The weight of time is heavy on the world. And all men born must die. But there are worlds unknown, where dreamers dream and sleepers sleep, and patiently await. As pledged in Caladan by Cod-she, (Sahjhan steps back and throws some powder at the statue) One shall awaken in the first year of the final century. That one, who lived before and joined Cod-she in the great sleep. Arise, as was promised and foretold. Arise. - Arise!"

Nothing happens. The demon turns away and walks over to one of the fires and lights himself a cigarette. Turns back to watch the statue, puffing. Checks his watch. Takes another drag.

Suddenly the room begins to shake and blue lighting flashes. The eyes of the statue suddenly turn into two open, human looking eyes. The statue cracks then crumbles to the ground in a cloud of dust.

The demon puts out his cigarette and walks over to the figure huddled in the middle of what's left of the statue.

Sahjhan: "Welcome to the twenty first century. (Crouches down and puts a hand on the back of the figure) Angelus is here. You'll see him soon. - You haven't used your muscles in a very long time. It will be a while before you're strong enough to..."

The figure suddenly straightens up. It's Holtz.

Holtz: "Just tell me where he is."