"I'm ashamed of how I treated you." "The way I used you." "I took what I needed and then I cast you aside." "And that was wrong of me." "It was very wrong." "He's reading!" " I made some notes." " I don't feel the sincerity here." " This was a waste of time." " Friends don't need notes." "We're not friends, Merl." "We barely even know each other." "Not like you made the effort either, is it?" "No." "Let him go if he wants to." " You said you'd listen to Angel." " You promised you'd try." " Did you hear that insincere tripe?" " It's unfair to blame the writing." " What does he want from me?" " What do I want?" "I'll tell you what I want." "I want back the three months I spent in therapy after being hung upside down in a sewer." "Angel, read the cards." "No, he's..." "He's right." "He's right." "Every time I went to Merl for information, he came through." "So I'll tell you what, Merl." "Take a shot." "Take a shot, Merl." " Knock it off, guys!" " Come on." " You see this?" "He's goading." " You know you want to." " Take a shot." " Shameless with the goading." " Come on, Merl." " Do you see this?" "Fine." "Okay!" "Man, you did that on purpose." "He knew that was gonna happen." "You tricked me." "I'm sure Angel just forgot that demon violence is impossible in Caritas." "Yeah, I forgot." "Yeah, whatever, okay." "I'm done listening to this bloodsucker and that goes for the rest of you." "I never want to see any of you ever again!" "Uh..." "So who's giving me a ride home?" "Thanks." "I hope I didn't take you too far out of your way." "What the...?" "No, no, no, no!" "." "Hey, big brother." "I was supposed to protect you." "You were my sister." "I still am." "Goodbye." "Alonna!" "You made it." "I called the hotel." "Cordelia said you were at Merl's." "What is that?" " That's Merl." " Where's the rest of him?" "Nasty." "What happened?" "I don't know." "I came to give "sincere" one more shot." "Even brought doughnuts." "But this is what I found." "We've ruled out suicide." "Found some of his personal papers and address book." "Gunn, you're here." "Good." "You didn't notice anything odd when you dropped Merl off, did you?" "Not really." "We'll box these up, catalogue them when we get back to the hotel." "Hey, guys, what are we doing?" " Examining the crime scene." " I see that." "What's our interest?" " Someone killed Merl." " No, right, I get that." "I didn't have a beef with Merl." "I'm even sorry he got dead." "But is this what we should spend our time on?" "He was what he was." " What's that supposed to mean?" " Nothing." "Somebody killed a demon." "Hello?" "We do that every day." " Merl was harmless." " Okay." "You' re not bent because we interrupted something?" " No." " Okay." "Usually doesn't take you two hours to answer a page." "Did somebody put you back in charge?" "They forgot to tell me." "All right." "Gunn, if this isn't something you can get behind, we'll understand." "For now, why don't you just go on home?" "Go home." "You know what?" "That's probably a real good idea." "Little creep." " Angel." " Merl." "He was right." "I never bothered to get to know who he was." "Now I guess I'll have to." "This is a situation you might wanna rethink." " Nice rig." " Glad you like it." "He should." "He built it." "Gio, you wanna get that thing out of my boy's face?" "You're still passing along what I taught you." "Word's out." "Vamps know better than to even cross Venice Boulevard." "Crew's as tight as it's ever been." "Even in your day." " Charles Gunn?" " That's right." "I know all about you." "That name is part of the reason I came out here." " Gio's from Miami." " Coast-to-coast, huh?" "Something like that." "You might be able to help me out." "Why is it that places like L.A. and Miami bring out the teeth?" "You'd think vamps would want to hang in less sunny climes..." " ...know what I'm saying?" " I think I do." " Maybe we could ask your boss why." " Yo, Gio." "You can't beat them, right, Chuck?" " It ain't even like that." " No?" "Okay." "If you say so." "See, because I heard that you was this bigtime alpha vamp killer and now you working with one." "What's up with that?" "Gio, who's supposed to be on point out back?" " That'd be me." " So why ain't you back there?" "Yeah, all right, it's cool." "Y'all can have your nice little visit." "But you might want to do that outside, in the sunshine." "Just to be on the safe side, you know?" "Some people just need a little time alone." "She's had time alone." "Five years." "I think that's the problem." "She's been back three months, and she hasn't gone out." "It's not like the last time she was out, she got sucked into a portal and ended up living like a hunted animal in a demon alterna-world." "Wait." "Kind of is, isn't it?" "Which is why I'm asking you to, you know, talk to her." " That's not a great idea." " You don't like her?" "Sure, I like her." "What's not to like?" "She's sweet and adorable and seems to be laughing at something that shrub said." "It's not that I don't like her." "I just don't get her." "I'm not asking you to get her." "I'm just asking you to talk to her." "Fine." "We'll chat." "Thanks." " What's this?" " "Enemies of Merl" list." "Hey, why is my name at the top of this list?" "Uh, A?" " Merl and I were not enemies." " Oh, okay." "My mistake." "I found the body, remember?" "Oh, and that's not suspicious." "The one time you pay Merl a social visit, he ends up dead." "I recognize many of these names." "You should." "They weren't enemies until we made him snitch on them." "Oh, sure." "I went dark, and I killed Merl." "We'll work backwards." "End with the A's." "How's that?" "We should start tracking these names." "Ask yourself this:" "If I had killed Merl, would I have brought doughnuts?" "I guess that's the word on me now, huh?" "Traitor, vamp lover?" "Don't listen to Gio." "He don't know you." "You do." "You think I turned my back on y'all to hook up with one of them?" "I ain't seen your back." "I don't know which way it's facing." " That's no answer." " Truth?" "I ain't heard a word from you." "Not since we spread what was left of George in the river." "I didn't mean to disappear on y'all." "I didn't plan it." " I guess after George" " You were gone way before George." "It was Alonna, man." "Things, they were never the same after Alonna." "I couldn't keep my own sister safe." "What could I do for you?" "You done a lot." "People are alive because of something you started." "No, man." "Something we started." "Got that right." "What's this one?" "Samuel Larch, a bookie." "Merl owed him a lot of money." " Demon or human?" " I'm not sure." "Care to find out?" "Demon, then." "I think when we find whatever's doing this, we're gonna need Gunn." "I agree." "From the look of this, what we're up against is quite big, extremely powerful" "And really pissed off." "Hello?" "Who's there, please?" "Get him!" "Come on!" "Smoke him, Gio!" " Gunn." " Hey." "Got your page." "Where's Angel?" "He's checking on something else." "Come in." "Victim's name was Samuel Larch." "We found him last night." " Guy was a demon." " Yeah." "Wesley?" "What are we doing, man?" "Who we working for anyway?" "Did The Powers send us here?" "Did Cordy get a vision?" " No." " Then what?" "Things are not always so simple as just slaying the big bad ugly." " There are shades of gray." " Yeah." "And green and a sickly yellow and sometimes puce with horns." "I get it." "What I don't get is why we are playing cleanup crew to a bunch of demons." "So we bust our butts till we find whatever did Merl and this Larch guy." "And six other victims we linked to it." "So we find this demon killing machine." "What then?" "We gonna stop it or thank it?" "I don't know." "You don't know." "From all I can determine, this victim was assimilated." "No history of violence, no threat to anyone." "Two of the others would have to be classified as irredeemably evil." "What are you saying?" "Whatever's responsible for these attacks isn't making distinctions." "It's just killing, randomly." " You were right." "Happened again." " When?" "Last night." "A Yarbnie was eviscerated in a sewer, Century City." " Yarbie?" "What's that?" " Yarbnie." "A balancing entity." "They tend to nest in urban areas under roadways." "Utterly nonviolent." "I should hit the streets." "See if I can shake anything loose." "If you want." " Yeah, that's probably a good idea." " Cool." "I'm on it." " Hey." " Hey." "Explain this." "It was dug out of the wall of an apartment on Miracle Mile." "Yeah, so?" "I recognize it." "It's out of my old rig, the one your pal Gio's been using." "Okay." "I came to give you a heads up." "You got a rogue on your crew." "Gio's been killing anything that moves." "You got to have a sit-down with him." "This ain't how we do things." "You dug this out of an apartment on the Mile?" " Yes." " Tall white towers?" "This is funny." "Gio ain't no rogue." "He found the place, but we was all there." "The whole crew." " You?" " Brother, the thing wasn't human." "We took care of it." " But did it attack anybody?" " No." "We got away clean." " No, I mean before you broke in." " We didn't give it a chance to." " What's the matter?" " Nothing." "Yo, Rondell." "Everyone's here, man." "You guys packing heat now?" "You can never be too careful." "I gotta go." "Wanna come with us tonight?" "Gio says he found a nest." "Primo hunting." "No, man, I got something." "Be good." "Hey." "You know something?" "He still thinks you're some kind of hero." "But me and you, we know better, right?" "Yeah." "Yeah, we know better." "Come on, let's go." "I haven't any idea what this might be." "It doesn't fit any of the data." " Something's missing." " Maybe it's never been recorded." "Don't tell me another portal's opened." "We have enough monsters in L.A." "No, something's missing." "We're missing an evidence bag." "Seven." "Eight." "Nine." "Yes, here's 10, here's 12, but where's 11?" "What was 11?" " Hi." " Ha!" " You startled me." " I'm sorry." " No, it's my fault." "I'm sorry, okay?" " Yeah." " Well, I'll get out of your way." " No, Fred, I want you to stay." "Stay." "Actually, I was hoping we could, you know, talk." "Well, yeah, of course." " Did you mean now?" " Yes." "I'm sorry." "It's just that I feel a little awkward." "Angel wants you to get out." "Oh, I see." "No, I understand." "I only have a few things to pack." " It won't take long." " That's not what I meant." "Out into the real world." "You know, just for an evening or something." "Oh." "Oh." "Oh." "Not by yourself or anything." "What if we went out together?" "Well, I suppose I would be okay if I was with you, right?" "Sure." " I mean, that'd be safe, right?" " Of course it would." "No one would look at me twice with you around." "Exactly!" "No." "Now, that's just not true." "People will notice you." " They will?" " Yes." "And you know why?" "Because you'll be standing on a stage in the white-hot spotlight." "I will?" " Hey." "Hey." " You the only one here?" " Yeah." "You making any progress?" "I don't know." "Maybe." "Wesley thinks the crimes have been random." " I'm starting to think otherwise." " Oh?" "The way it's happening, it reminds me of things I've seen before." "How so?" "The pattern." "The seeming randomness of it." "The chaos." "There's a larger purpose behind every move." "What?" "To have fun." "Something wrong?" "No." "Just need to see the boss." "Know where he's at?" "I swear to God, she picked out the song herself." "I know what you're doing, and don't." "Stop it." "Do not." "Hey!" "Don't go reading me." "I wouldn't." "But, sweetie, you're a billboard." "He came in with some questions." "Looks like you got the answers." "I really don't feel like going over there." "So you wanna talk about it?" "Do I gotta sing?" "Go!" "Party!" "My club!" "I thought demon violence was impossible in here." "Those aren't demons." "That's time!" "Let's truck!" "Whoa, don't be in such a rush, now." "Don't be in such a hurry." "You're liable to miss out on the more interesting things in life." "Yo!" "Charlie Gunn!" "Come on, now." "I know you in here." "Where you at?" "I'm right here." "G" " Man, what are you doing here?" "Come on, tell him." "Tell him how you been rolling up in here for months tossing back drinks with your demon buddies." "What he's saying, that ain't true." "Why not?" "His best friend's a vampire." "What did you expect?" "Rondell, go." "Just take your crew and leave." "No." "Not until I get some answers." "That's right." "Answers." "The man wants some answers." "Yes, I think we all would." " Wesley." " Stay out of this." "As much as I'd like to, I'm afraid I'm in it." "We all are." " Get your hands off me." " Hey!" " That's enough!" " Oh, God." "Oh, God." "Oh, God." " I don't believe this." " He's okay, man." " Nice." " He ain't okay." "Look at him!" " You don't know what you're doing." " It was them." "They killed Merl and the others." "You knew." "I should have said something." "I was going to." "I was just..." "I was trying to work it out." "Figure how to deal." " Have you worked it out yet?" " I'm sorry." "You gonna apologize to this thing?" " Move." " You might wanna." "You can't do that, man." "I can't let you." " You lost the mission, bro." " What?" "What you been doing, this ain't right." " This is not what we're about." " The hell you say." "I don't know what you're about, but we been protecting our own." "Is it protecting your own to break into people's homes?" " They ain't people." "Are you?" " Stop!" "Stop it." "I'd prefer a clean kill." "The last time I was wounded, it took months to heal." "Wounded, if I recall, in an attempt to help you." "Look at me." "Look at me!" "It's got nothing to do with them, man." "This is between us." "Us." "Let them go, man." "Yeah, why not?" "We can do that." "After all, we ain't monsters." "Take my truck." "It's outside." "They won't stop you." "How can you be here with these things and tell me I lost the mission?" "Because it's true." "We used to face death because we had to." "Now you chase it down for fun." "That ain't right." "One!" "Just one." "Her." "She can go." "The others stay." "Come on, man." "I'm not leaving here without her." "No way." "No!" "No." "The rest will be able to leave after she brings back the vampire." "Then we'll see who lost the mission." "Oh, God." "Oh, God." "Oh, God." "Shut up!" "He ain't listening." "We have to think of a better plan." "This is a bad plan." "It's their plan." "They want you where you can't fight so they can kill you." " No choice." " It'll be suicide." " It'll be okay." " It won't." "You didn't see these guys." " Go to this address." " What is it?" " Transuding Furies." " Gesundheit," "Lorne hires them to cast a sanctorium spell on Caritas." "Tell them to lift the spell, then I can fight back." "They'll lift the spell, then you can fight all 20 and still get killed." "Cordy, please, just do it." " What if they won't lift the spell?" " Tell them it's for me." " You know them?" " I did." " They'll remember you?" " They should." "They better!" "Angel." "I told her she'd be safe with me." "I know." "We've gotta do something." "They'll kill Angel." "No, they won't." "They're gonna make me do it." "Hey, Chuck!" "Did I ever tell you you're my" " Hey." "I'm starting to think this vamp ain't gonna show." "Miami." "Did you say something to me, green boy?" "Was 3000 miles really far enough, I wonder?" "I know why you left." "Why you ran." "You couldn't stay there, could you?" "After what you did." " She trusted you." " Shut up." "Right up until the end, she trusted you." "Did you know that?" "Hey, that one's trying to run!" "Oh, God." "They'll kill us all." "I told you to watch the door!" "You see that?" "You see that?" "!" "He's trying to save that lowlife." "Know what this thing does?" "It's a baby killer." "I seen plenty of them in Florida." " You like to eat babies, don't you?" " Yeah, go ahead." "I don't care." "Think I care?" "Go ahead and do it, cowards." "Cowards." "So who does he go after?" "Who does he draw down on?" "The baby-killing monster?" "Nope, me." "What does that tell you?" "There's a lot of monsters to choose from." "And maybe you one of them." "You one of them, Chuck?" "They turn you already?" "Come at me and find out." "Yeah, I think he's one of them." "Or maybe you just want to be." "Yeah, that's more like it." "I bet they won't even let you in their little club." "You ain't good enough for the vamps, demons and baby-eating monsters." "That's what I'm guessing." "Buy them drinks, wine them and dine them, stick up for them." ""Oh, yeah, that one's okay. " And they still won't put you on." " Ain't that a blip?" " Shut up." "What we heard about his sister might not be right." "He was the only one there to see it." "Know what I'm saying?" "I'll taste your children." "You the one let her get vamped, right, Chuck?" "I wouldn't let no bloodsucker get that close to my sister." " And why?" " I live in playgrounds." "Were you thinking that finally she was gonna give it up to you?" "Was that the plan?" "And that's why you let her get bit." " bodies." "Leave them for a husk." "And then when she was there, all vamped out and hungry you thought you might get that eternal kiss." "And when she said, "No," that's when you stuck it to her." " Shut up!" " Not in here." "No." "Are you trucking with vamps and demons to get a piece of that action?" "I said shut up!" " This is a sanctuary." " Not anymore." "Nice shot." "Am I next?" "Now's your chance, G." "Prove to everyone here this thing ain't no friend to you." "This is madness." "Angel has a soul." " He's a vampire." " With a soul!" "Whatever." "You think that makes him the same as us?" "No, better." "Better than you, anyway." "When he did his pleasure-killing, he had no soul." "You can make no such claim." "What's it gonna be?" "Here, Charles." "Let me make it simple for you." "Take a look." "This is what I am." "Deal with it or don't, but make a damn choice." "So Angel says that you and he go way back?" "Mmm..." "Angel." "So about the sanctorium mojo you've got going on at Caritas..." "Any chance you can pull the plug on that?" "Kind of an emergency." " You would have us..." " ..." "lift what..." " ...has been put in..." " ...place by mutual..." " ...consent..." " ...and contract." "If you don't, Angel will die." "Mmm..." "Angel." "It's not gonna happen." " I knew it." " You don't know nothing." "You think I won't kill him because he's my friend?" "That ain't why." "Truth is, he could never be my friend on account of what he is." "Not his fault really." "It's the way it worked out." "He ain't your friend." "I am." "You're gonna choose that over me?" "Looks like." "It's about the mission, bro." " He's got it, and you don't." " Oh." "You think 'cause you letting that monster live you got the mission?" "As far as I can see, a monster lover ain't no better than a monster." "And I kill monsters." "That's what I do." "So anybody want to walk out of here tonight they gonna have to show me." "Come on, step on up and do what your friend wouldn't." "Kill the vampire, and you can leave this place." "Otherwise stay and burn with the rest of them." "Who wants to live?" "I'm sorry." "I just..." "I don't want to die." "Look, this is really urgent." "I know Lorne pays you for this spell." "What will it take to lift it?" " This is not a debt..." " ...you can pay." "You don't know that." "My credit has been good this year." " Only Angel..." " ...is equipped to pay this debt." "Angel?" "For a guy a couple of centuries old, not very big with the wise investing." "And when you say "equipped," that isn't what you mean, is it?" " Mmm..." "Angel." " Got it." "And, ew." "I'm sorry." "I just can't die in here." "It's okay." "I understand." "All right, now you want to get it in the heart, or it's no good." "I thought I might shoot you in the throat instead." "If I pierce a carotid artery, considering the temperature because someone shot the thermostat, the blood loss will be heavy." "There's a chance I'll puncture a vocal chord and you won't scream." "You'll want to when the blood loss results in a cerebrovascular event." "That's a stroke." "I wasn't trying to sound snooty." "Fred." "Fred, it's okay." "Just point it at me." "At me, Fred." "No, I can't." "Yes, you can." "It's okay." "Really." "Thank you, ladies." "I owe you one." "Come on, you guys!" "Take these fools!" "Fight!" "It's ten against three!" "This is pathetic." "I'm done with you!" "Why did I come to this coast?" "!" "L.A. sucks!" "I'm going back to Florida." "If you're lucky, I'll drag you on the beach for sunshine, and totally" "Don't guess Rondell will cross Venice Boulevard again soon." "It's never easy." "The pull of divided loyalties." "Whatever choice we make, we feel as though we've betrayed someone." "Yeah." "If you withhold information or attempt to subvert me again, I will fire you." "I can't have any member of this team compromising the safety of the group." "If you do it again, you will be dismissed, bag and baggage." "You're gonna get on me about what I said." "No." "You understand, I had to stall." "Keep it going." "I get that." " Doesn't mean I meant it." " You meant it, but that's okay." "Can't help the way I feel, man." "Just the way it is." "Doesn't mean I don't want to work with you or I don't like you." "Maybe someday." "I don't know." "I don't know either." "But I got time." "Hey." "No matter what else, I proved you could trust me when I didn't kill you." "You'll prove I can trust you when the day comes that you have to kill me and you do."