Written by David Fury and Stephen S. DeKnight

Transcribed by Tania (tania@fangedfour.com) for fangedfour.com

Opening Scene, Royal London Hotel, England. 1880. Shot opens on a lush hotel room, lots of burgundy and red fabric.

We hear Drusilla laughing, and then William's laughter joins her as the camera pans to the door of the hotel room. The door opens, as soon as they are inside William turns Drusilla around and pushes her against the wall and presses himself against her.

Drusilla: "Such a hungry little Kitty. Meow. You've been a starved one, haven't you my sweet Willie?" She walks away from him.

William: "Got you to feast on now, pet."

Drusilla: "Hmm."

William: "Is this your home?"

Drusilla: "They're home." She nods towards two bodies, a man and woman, seated on a chaise lounge. "Ambassador to...something, and his plump, lovely wife, until their spirits flew away on fairy wings. Pst. When Angelus took them for dinner."

William: "Angelus? Who the bloody hell's Angel..." He turns to see Angelus standing in the shadows of the doorway.

Drusilla: "Look what I made. It's called Willie."

William: "William."

Drusilla: "Where's Darla? I want Darla to see William."

Angelus: "Darla and I had a little spat, her precious Master sent for her. You know Darla, Master's pet."

Drusilla: "Hmm. Poor Angelus."

Angelus: "Ah, don't fret Dru. We'll make up, always do." He runs his hand across his obviously sore cheekbone. He makes a couple little groans at the pain then steps towards William to make an inspection. "After a little tit for tat. We shouldn't let that spoil our fun here. So, instead of just feeding off of this William you went and turned him into one of us? Another rooster in the hen house."

Drusilla: "You're not cross with me, are you?"

Angelus: "Cross?" He quickly dashes forward and grabs William's arm, pulling his hand into the sunlight streaming through the window. "Do you have any idea what it's like having nothing but women as travel companions night in and night out?"

William: Pulling his hand away. "Touch me again."

Angelus: Ignoring William's comment. "Don't mistake me, I do love the ladies, it's just lately I've been wondering," He holds his own hand into the sunlight watching it sizzle. "what it'd be like to share the slaughter of innocents with another man. Don't think that makes me some kind of a deviant," He pulls his hand back into the shade and sniffs at the burning flesh. "do ya?"

William reaches his hand back into the light, Angelus laughs and then claps his hand around William's neck and shoulder and rubs it.

Angelus: "Ah, I like this one. You and me, we're going to be the best of friends." They both laugh.

Scene cuts to Angel and Spike walking down the lobby stairs at Wolfram and Hart.

Angel: "Get the hell away from me Spike."

Spike: "Would that I could you big ape." As they are walking across the lobby Spike walks through a pillar, keeping pace with Angel. "Well then, why don't you make us both happy and give me what I want?"

Angel: "You're not getting an office." Angel walks up to Harmony's desk.

Spike: "You selfish sod. The rest of your lot get to go home to their nice and cozies. Me? I gotta nest in somebody else's roost. It's not bleeding right."

Angel: "You don't work here. You haunt this place, and annoy me. That's all." He walks away.

Spike: "Job well done, eh? At least give me Wesley's office, I mean, since he's gone."

Angel: "He's not gone, he's on a leave of absence." Enters his office.

Spike: "Yeah right, boo hoo. Thought he killed his bloody father. Try staking your mother when she's coming on to you."

Harmony: "Well, that explains a lot." Spike shakes his head and walks away. "Spike."

Spike: Returning to Harmony's desk. "Look, that was a long time ago, she wasn't herself."

Harmony: "You got mail." She holds out a box.

Spike: "What?"

Harmony: "It's addressed to you, care of here."

Spike: "Who the hell'd be sending post to a..."

Harmony: "Ghost? Doesn't say, kinda heavy. Here." She holds the box out to hi, but he just waves his hands in the air. "Oh, you want me to..."

Spike: "If you don't mind."

Harmony places the box on the desk and opens it with a letter opener. As soon as she lifts the flap a bright light flashes out of the box. Spike and Harmony both blink their eyes as if blinded.

Spike: "Well, that was a slap in the tickle."

Harmony: "There's nothing..." The phone rings, she picks it up. Spike shakes his head and starts walking towards Angel's office. "Ugh, Good morning, Wolfram and..." The receiver of the phone blares out a screeching, like a fax machine. She yells and pulls the phone from her ear.

Spike: "Any more fireworks for me, I'll be in here, telling your boss what a miserable bast..." He tries to walk through the door, but instead slams face first into it and falls to the ground. "Bugger, that hurt. Hold on." He looks up as Angel opens the door.

Spike: "Hey! I'm...I can feel." He presses his hand to his chest and then reaches out and pushes on Angel's chest, moving his shirt around until Angel pushes his hand away.

There are lots of phones ringing in the background.

Angel: "Stop touching me."

Spike: "Uh, I'm...mmm...I can." He licks at the blood trickling out of his nose and then grabs a mug from Angel's hand. "Oh god, it's bloody ambrosia. Is this Otter?"

Gunn: "Hey, what's going..."

As Gunn walks up Spike hands the mug back to Angel and hugs Gunn.

Spike: "I'm back Charlie boy that's what's goin'."

Gunn: "He's corporeal, when did this, I mean how?"

Angel: "I don't know, he just."

Spike: "I got it. Musta been that box of flashy I got in the mail."

Angel: "You got? From who?"

Spike: "Don't know, don't care. But if you find out give them a bloody kiss on the mouth for me."

Angel: "Harmony? What is going on with the phones?"

Harmony: Stepping away from her desk and joining them. "Nobody knows, it's like all over the office and all there is is EEEEE on the other end. Plus, now my computer's freaking."

Spike: "Harm." He stares at her for a second and then jumps over and gives her a kiss.

Harmony: "Get off, ahh." She pushes him off of her.

Spike: "That's the idea, need to borrow your gal Friday for a bit."

Angel: "Permission denied."

Spike: "Wasn't asking." He grabs Harmony's arm and tries to pull her away, but she breaks his grip.

Harmony: "Ugh, my god. Oh my god. What? You think just `cause you're all solid now that I'm gonna go..."

Spike: "That's a very pretty skirt that you're wearing."

Harmony: Pauses, then turns to Angel. "Taking a long lunch boss." They both laugh and run off hand in hand.

Scene cuts to a carriage riding through the night. We hear Angelus and William's laughter.

William: "And then, when you leapt up right in the middle of the ceremony, grabbed the priest's head and, and squeezed it till it popped like..."

Angelus: "Rotted melon." He reaches over and pulls a woman in a wedding gown closer to him, she has been fed from but is still alive she stares at them but does not try to speak..

William: "Yes. Eyeballs dangling from their sockets, and you shouting `Frankly Father, thine eyes offend me." They both laugh. "Bloody priceless. And beating the groom to death with his own arm? I mean honestly, you're a bloody killing marvel."

Angelus: "Yeah, have a drink." He offers the girl to William.

William: "Nah, that's your spoils mate."

Angelus: "I've had my fill. Go on take her."

William: "Nah, I think I might go find Drusilla. She's prowling for street urchins in the East End. Make her happy if I joined her, for a bit."

Angelus: "She's special isn't she, our Drusilla?"

William: "Oh yeah, she brought me into this world. Where I was meant to be. It's like she's my destiny."

Angelus: "Ah, she is a sweet plum. I mean a bit dotty and brain ill, but..."

William: "She's not, she's just...It's like she's still got a bit of a child in her."

Angelus: "Perhaps two or three by now. Driver! Stop the coach.."

Driver: "Hey, Ho." The coach stops.

Angelus: "Happy hunting. Go on. Just be home before sunrise." William gets out.

Scene cuts to Wolfram and Hart hallway. The phones are still ringing like crazy.  Spike is pulling Harmony by the arm as she races to keep up. They pass an open door with a man inside standing at his desk. They back up and go inside the office.

Spike: "You! We need your office. Get out."

Lawyer: "What? I don't take orders from a gho...Hey! You can't..." Spike drags him away from his desk.

Spike: "Come on."

Lawyer: "Hey, get your hands off." Spike throws him out of the office and shuts the door. The Lawyer bangs on the door.

Spike: "Piss off."

The man walks down the hall and around a corner to the copy room.

Lawyer: "You're not gonna believe this Jerry. I just got thrown out of my own office, that ghost pal of Mr. Good Fang, guess he..."

Jerry turns away from the copy machine to face the lawyer, his eyes look like he has been crying blood.

Jerry: "Toner!"

Lawyer: "Jerry!"

Jerry picks up a fire extinguisher and slams it into the lawyer's face.

Jerry: "Nobody replaces the toner!" He continues to smash the lawyer.

Angel: Walking with a man with a pocket protector. "Kill `em, all of `em, phones and computers. Shut `em down. Find out if we've got some kind of bug in the system and who put it there." The man walks away.

Gunn: "Figure we're under some kind of attack again?"

Angel: "I don't know what to figure yet."

Fred: Coming down the stairs. "Angel?"

Angel: "Oh, let me guess, lab computers are on the fritz?"

Fred: "Well, yeah, but that's just the tip of the fritzberg. The needles on our atmospheric gauges suddenly started spiking into red, totally blew out the instruments."

Angel: "Like some kind of electrical surge, like what's affecting our phones, and..."

Fred: "I think it might be something else."

Angel: "Never simple is it?" He picks up a mug from his desk. "He drank all my blood. Harmony!"

Gunn: "She's off having a, uh nooner with blondie bear. Remember?"

Fred: "She's what?"

Gunn: "You know, nooner, when you have sex in the middle of the..."

Fred: "I know what a nooner is Charles. You said she`s with Spike?"

Angel: "Uh, yeah, he's corporeal again."

Fred: "Corporeal?"

Gunn: "Yeah, he got something in the mail, flash bam boom, he's a solid citizen again."

Fred: "Oh my god! Why didn't you call me?"

Angel: "I'm sorry, we've just, you know, we've had our hands full dealing with the glitch in the office system. Which just so happens to coincide with Spike being back and I can't believe I'm just getting that."

Gunn: "You think whatever recorporialized Spike's doing a number on the building?"

Fred: "Well obviously they're connected. Maybe when Spike's matter was reintegrated into physical form it had some sort of ripple effect on the immediate environment? Or, or, if those gauge readings are correct it could be the start of something bigger, like..."

Eve: From the doorway. "The entire universe thrown into catastrophic turmoil? Cause that's what's happening kids."

Gunn: "So you know what's going on?"

Eve: "Only what I'm told Counselor. Corporate seers alerted me to the situation."

Angel: "Which is?"

Eve: "It's a harbinger."

Fred: "Harbinger."

Eve: "Upshot is, we've got trouble, and that starts with T and that rhymes with P and that stands for prophecy. Shanshu. Maybe you've heard of it?"

Angel: "Oh god, that again. Yeah, I'm familiar, so?"

Eve: "So, it talks about a champion. A vampire with a soul who will play a pivotal role in the apocalypse, for good or evil? Anybody's guess. That part's hazy." She sits on Angel's desk.

Fred: "I thought the Shanshu had to do with Angel becoming human again, after..."

Eve: "That's just the epilogue princess. And for the record the prophecy doesn't call Angel by name."

Gunn: "Hold on. You're saying because Spike's back you think..."

Eve: "I don't think anything. All I can tell you is his very existence is disrupting the order of things."

Angel: "No argument here."

Gunn: "This doesn't add up. There were already two souled vampires in the universe before Spike fried. Why's this happening now?"

Eve: "Key word here is Champion. Spike gave his life to save the world. That gives him the cred. But when he died and became a ghost, case closed. Now that he's back, all bets are off kids." Gunn turns to leave.

Angel: "Where are you going?"

Gunn: "To check on something."

Fred: "You knew this would happen. All that time I was working on recorporealizing Spike you never mentioned..."

Eve: "Hey, I would have said something if I'd known sweetie. My universe too you know. How'd you pull it off by the way? Bringing Spike back. You guys did do it right?"

Angel: "Something came in the mail for him."

Eve: "The mail? Like the amulet."

Angel: "Yeah, never did find out who sent it."

Fred: "The senior partners maybe?"

Eve: "Watch the accusatory stares kids, I only know..."

Angel: "What you're told. Right, so the seers told you the phones and all were a harbinger. Of what?"

Eve: "Something worse, and seriously dangerous."

Angel: "What do you mean dangerous?"

Cut to the lawyer's office. Spike is screwing Harmony on the desk.

Harmony: "Uh, Spike, uh Spike, Spike uh uh." The camera pans to her face, her eyes are dripping blood like Jerry's had.

Spike: "Don't talk, let's not spoil the moment." She bends up and bites into his neck. He screams and jumps off her. "What the hell has gotten into you?  Your eyes."

Harmony jumps up, she's in game face.

Harmony: "I'm not, not yours."

Spike: "Yeah, right. Not mine."

Harmony: "Using me. Making me think, feel, like yours."

Spike: "Let's just..."

Harmony: "You, you don't want me. You want your slayer whore. I'll kill you!" She lunges at him, he throws one punch and knocks her behind the desk, bare feet flying.

Scene cuts to the Lawyer, laying dead in the copy room.

Jerry: "Self centered jerks. Little thing called being considerate. Replace the, the..." The camera pans to Angel, Eve, and Lorne in the copy room. The word TONER is written in blood on the wall. Lorne is holding a cloth to his forehead.

Lorne: "Yeah, well, then I see Mr. Considerate here covered in blood making mashed potatoes out of this fella, and before I could get to `Oh, what's wrong with this picture' he cracks me right in the coconut."

Security Guard: "Sir, we have two more attacks, one fatality."

Angel: "Alright, seal off the building. Nobody in and out `til we know what we got here. Spells, virus, mass hysteria."

Security Guard: "Yes sir." into radio. "All channels we have a code black. Affirmative, we are closing Pandora's Box."

Lorne: "He say, fearless leader. If you don't mind, whatdya say I, uh, nurse this bump with an ice pack while I barricade myself in my office, Huh?"

Angel: "You're call. Hey Lorne, do me a favor first. Stop by the lab and tell Fred I need to know the second she figures out what's causing this."

Lorne: "Yeah, gotcha."

Eve: "Come on Angel, you know what's causing all this."

Angel: "No Eve, I don't."

Eve: "This is just the beginning. The fabric of reality is starting to unravel. For my money it all comes down to you and..."

Spike opens the door in front of them and rushes out.

Angel: "Spike."

Spike: "Look, I don't know what you put in the water coolers around here, but your secretary just started crying blood and tried to rip me a few new ones."

Angel: "Harmony?"

Spike: "Had to put her porch lights out." Angel shoots him a look. "For the best, sure you understand."

Angel: "Oh, yeah, you're a real hero."

Eve: "And that's our problem in a nutshell."

Spike: "Our problem?"

Angel: "Eve's got this theory."

Eve: "Fact Jack. There's only supposed to be one candidate for the vampire with a soul hero part in the big show. Two of you and the wheel of destiny starts spinning off its axis. That's why everything and every one is going mad."

Spike: "Hold on a tick. You're blaming this on us?"

Angel: "No, she's blaming it on you."

Eve: "This town might not be big enough for both of you." Spike starts walking away, Angel and Eve follow him.

Spike: "Well, screw this town then, screw this devil's funhouse Angel, and screw you for good measure. I think I'll take the new flesh and bones across the pond, back to Europe."

Eve: "Spike, by town I mean this entire plane of existence. You won't solve this disequalibrium by leaving, you might even make it worse."

Gunn: Stepping off the elevator. "Let's not make it worse. We don't want worse." He sits down on a nearby bench. "I just went to the white room to see what the big cat had to say."

Angel: "And?"

Gunn: "Cat's gone."

Eve: "Gone?"

Gunn: "The white room too. Elevator just opened up into a howling abyss. You ever heard a howling abyss? Terrible sound."

Eve: "Cat's gone means the conduit's gone means we're alone in this. No contact with the Senior Partners. Just us and a big gaping tear in the balance of the universe."

Spike and Angel share a rolling of eyes look. Spike has his hand on the elevator.

Angel: "Spike, stay. Please? Europe will still be there after we've work this out."

Gunn: "Maybe."

Angel: "Probably."

Spike: "How exactly are you gonna work this out boss man? You tell me we're making a tear in the galaxy or whatnot. You think you're just gonna sew that back up?"

Eve: "If there were just someway to determine which one of you the prophecy's really about, maybe..."

Angel: "I just read the Shanshu prophecy and I'm telling you there was nothing in it."

Spike: "Hold on. You read the prophecy? The one you don't believe in. Uh, load of rubbish you said. Well, isn't that bloody interesting?"

Angel: "Spike."

Gunn: "No offense Angel, what we need is someone who's an expert on the Shanshu scriptures."

Angel: "Fine, but Wesley's not here."

Eve: "No, but his department is. Maybe somebody there can..."

Angel: "Do what? I'm telling you, I read the prophecy."

Cut to Sirk's office.

Sirk: "You didn't read the prophecy."

Angel: "I didn't?"

Sirk: "You read a translation of the prophecy, it's like comparing the Kind James bible with the original Aramaic or Hebrew. Much of the flavor, the subtlety of usage, the historical context has been stripped away. Read the prophecy.  May as well have read a twelve year old's book report on the subject."

Gunn: "I miss Wesley."

Angel: "Okay Sirk, point made. Listen, is there anything in the Shanshu that can help us with what's going on?"

Spike: "Yeah, what's it say about me?"

Sirk: "There is a newly translated group of verses which may perhaps prove relevant. The root of the tree will split in two and each then will seek nourishment from the buried river."

Spike: "Sounds like a gardening tip."

Sirk: "It's metaphor. Please tell me I don't have to explain metaphor to you people."

Angel: "Sirk, the text."

Sirk: "Ah, here we are, storm unleashed, the balance will falter, until vampire with a soul drinks from the cup of perpetual torment."

Angel: "More metaphor."

Sirk: "No, that's real."

Eve: "So there's a cup."

Spike: "Perpetual torment, just know that's not gonna taste very good."

Sirk: "He will have the weight of worlds upon him, binding his limbs, grinding his bones to meal until he saves creation, or destroys it."

Spike: "Uh, yee, right. So what's in it for me?"

Sirk: "The vampire will have his past washed clean."

Angel: "And live again in mortal form. Yeah, that part I know."

Spike: "Yeah, I bet you do."

Gunn: "So Angel drinks from this cup, our computers go back online, phones stop ringing and people stop turning into homicidal maniacs?"

Spike: "Who says it's Angel's supposed to take the swig? Who says it's about him at all?"

Angel: "Ah, come on Spike, you really think this is about you?"

Spike: "Oh why the bloody hell not. Just `cause you..."

Eve: "Boys, let's focus on the problem at hand. We don't want to be wrong about this."

Sirk: "There is no wrong. The drinking of the cup is predestined. That can't be changed, whoever drinks from it was meant to, and when one is confirmed as the central figure of the prophecy the universe should realign itself."

Gunn: "So this cup thing, where is it? Does it say?"

Sirk: "Does offer some details yes. Housed in the hidden city of Petro, uh huh, disappears during the crusades, surfaces again in the Vatican, vanishes in the third year of the inquisition and then, yes, interesting. It's in Nevada."

Gunn: "Nevada?"

Sirk: "Death Valley to be exact. The earth with flash and mark the appearance of the cup at the columns."

Angel: "Columns? Well that sounds vaguely..."

Sirk: "And the desert will swallow cup and house whole a...well this can only be loosely translated. And the fat lady will sing no more."

Angel: "Opera."

Eve: "Opera?"

Angel: "Yeah, the Columns was an opera house in death valley. Was buried in an big earthquake in `38, made the headlines in Los Angeles. It's only a few hours away. I can get there and back before morning..."

Gunn: "Angel, we got a seriously major crisis going on here. Might not be the best time to go running after some mystical cup."

Angel: "I really don't have much of a choice. If it's there I'm just gonna have to accept the prophecy's real and hope that it stops this madness. In the meantime, you're in charge. Keep this place quarantined til I get...Where's Spike?"

Cut to Spike driving down the highway in Angel's red viper. He is singing along to the radio when a cell phone rings in the seat next to him. Angel is chasing behind him in another car.

Spike: "Yello."

Angel: "You took my viper."

Spike: "My Viper now mate. Possession's nine-tenths. Outta know that running a law firm and such."

Angel: "You think this is a game, people are dying."

Spike: "And one of us is going to stop it. Hey, whatdya know, I vote for me."

Angel: "There's no voting, it's a prophecy. And the Shanshu's not about you Spike."

Spike: "Still can't accept it can you? Sad really. All these years believing you're the signified monkey only to find out you're just a big hunk of nobody cares."

Angel: "Really wish you'd stayed a ghost."

Spike: "But I didn't did I? Burned up saving the world and now I'm back, for real. Wonder why that is? Oh wait, `cause I'm the one you git."

Angel: "Spike, I don't have time to..."

Spike: "Ccch, What's that? I'm losing you, you're ccch, what do they call it, ccch, oh right breaking up, you're breaking up."

Angel: "Spike, don't..."

Spike: "Ponce."

Angel: "Idiot."

They continue racing down a dirt highway.

Cut to Wolfram and Hart, Gunn's office. He is talking into a walkie talkie.

Gunn: "I know she's a vampire, just shoot her up with some elephant tranqs and put her in some kind of restraints." The guard says something unintelligible. "Uh yeah, whatever, that's okay, just look, get it done. Over and you know out."

Eve: "Always something with this place huh? I mean ghost fights, Id monsters, killer cyborgs. It's a wonder that with all the hijinks you people ever get any work done."

Gunn: "Funny, you always seem to be around for the hijinks."

Eve: "Lucky I guess." She has pulled a toy robot from the shelf on the wall and is now holding it.

Gunn: "Yeah? And what else are you Eve? Besides lucky?"

Eve: "Am I supposed to know what that..."

Gunn: "Playing like your just a fresh young thing from Santa Cruz who just somehow winds up connected to the Senior Partners of Evil Incorporated."

Eve: "I never said I was from Santa Cruz. Just went to school there. And if we're talking about being connected Charles? You're the guy that talks to the cat upstairs, think that makes you a lot more connected to this place than I'll ever be. Far as the Senior Partners are concerned I'm just a messenger."

Gunn: "Right, and I'm just a mild mannered attorney." As they are talking an employee with a hatchet is walking towards the office, just before he reaches the window a security guard tackles him. Eve and Gunn watch this happen, Gunn then takes the robot from her hand. "Don't be fingering the robots."

Cut to Angel's car driving towards a building with several columns. Then inside the building. Angel is on the lower floor, Spike is above him on a balcony.

Spike: "Here we are then. Two vampire heroes. Competing to wet our whistles with a drink of light refreshing torment."

Angel: "Is that what you think you are? A hero?"

Spike: "Saved the world didn't I?"

Angel: "Once. Talk to me after you've done it a couple more times."

Spike: "Done talking mate. Got a prophecy needs fulfilling. Ta." He runs off.

Angel: "Spike. Dammit!" Angel follows him up the stairs.

Cut to William walking into the London Hotel room. We here a bed squeaking and then see Angelus standing next to the bed with a woman's legs wrapped around his waist as he thrusts. William sees this smiling at first. Angelus looks up at Spike, but doesn't move off of his lover.

William: "Well, looks like you haven't had your fill of her after..." He stops when he realizes it is Drusilla Angel is screwing.

Drusilla: "The little children didn't come out to play. Did you miss me pretty William?"

Angelus: "Sure he did, Dru, after all you are his destiny."

Drusilla: "Oh, that's so sweet." Angelus and Drusilla fall on the bed laughing.

Cut back to the Columns. Angel sees a golden cup on a pillar with a light shining down on it. He jumps down from the balcony and walks towards it. Spike jumps down beside him.

Spike: "Thought it'd be a little less goldeny, what with the torment and all."

Angel: "So, what do we do now?"

Spike reaches over and punches Angel, knocking him to the ground.

Spike: "What d'you think? Come on, let's see how much soul you really got in there."

Angel: "Spike, we don't have time for this."

Spike: "Keep your knickers dry Sally, you're not gonna last that long."

Angel: "Fine." He jumps up and punches Spike. "We'll do it your way." He punches him again and again in the face, but Spike just laughs and then throws Angel through the air. He lands on an elevated stage with his hand on a massive golden cross, he jumps up and kicks the cross down at Spike.

Spike: Laughing. "Oh yeah, look at you, thinking you're the big savior. Fighting for truth, justice, and soccer moms. But you still can't lay flesh on a cross without smelling like bacon, can you?"

Angel: "Like you're any different."

Spike: "Well, that's just it. I am. And you know it. You had a soul forced on you, as a curse, make you suffer for all the horrible things you've done, but me? I fought for my soul. Went through the demon trials. Almost did me in a dozen times over, but I kept fighting, because I knew it was the right thing to do." He jumps up onto the platform next to Angel. "It's my destiny."

Angel: "Really, heard it was just to get into a girl's pants."

Spike kicks a piece of rebar into his hand then takes a swing at Angel. Angel jumps down and walks towards the cup. Spike throws another length of rebar down at Angel, then flies through the air with the rebar still in his hands. Angel puts his piece up in the air and blocks Spike's landing with a large clang of metal.

Cut to Wolfram and Hart. Harmony is being wheeled into the lab on a gurney. Gunn, Eve, and Fred are standing at a lab table.

Gunn: "Six more cases. That's what? A thirty percent increase in the last hour."

Fred: "Thirty-two point four, but who's counting."

Eve: "Any idea what the specific trigger is?"

Fred: "None, there's no common thread. Gender, age, position, psyche profile, blood type, med history. There doesn't seem to be any pattern to this thing. Seems like it could affect any of us."

Eve: "Is there anything that any of us..."

Gunn: "Why are you answering her questions Fred." Gunn looks up and his eyes are surrounded by blood. "We don't trust this bitch. She'll kill us all."

Fred: "Gunn!"

Gunn lunges at Eve, choking he against a wall

Gunn: "What are you, huh?"

Fred: "Gunn, no!" SHe starts scrambling ot put a tranquilizer together.

Gunn: "What's really in there, huh? Huh? Well, guess you gotta breathe, good to know." Fred tries to tranq him but he back hands her and sends her flying to the floor before returning his attention to Eve. "You liar! You think we don't know that you're behind this or that you've been playing us? What are you, huh? Show me. What are you a monster? SHOW ME!"

Fred comes up behind him and hits him with something heavy.

Cut back to Spike and Angel fighting with the rebar, they are using them like jousting batons. Spike has blood trickling down his nose.

Spike: "You used to hit a lot harder Gramps."

Angel: "No, your head's just gotten thicker."

They continue fighting while walking up a larger 45 degree angle ramp. Angel pushes Spike through a railing onto another balcony then jumps over to join him.

Spike: "You're not gonna win this time." Angel goes flying through the railing to the ground below. When he lands Angel spits out a mouth full of blood. "Vampire with a soul." He jumps down a level. "Nobody knows what side he's gonna fight on." He jumps down to another box. "When the big show comes down." Angel is still laying on his back coughing up blood. "`Cept we already know what side you're on, don't we? Already made your choice. Traded in your cape and tights for a nice comfy chair at Wolfram and bloody Hart." Spike thrusts the rebar at Angel, but Angel grabs it before SPike can hit him.

Angel: "Little more complicated than that." Angel jumps up and throws the rebar across the room. "You always were a bit simple, Willie."

Cut back to London Hotel. Angelus has William pressed against the wall.

William: "Don't touch her."

Angelus: "Little late for that Willie, and I really don't like it when you raise your voice to me."

Drusilla: "William, don't play such a sad tune." She leans back seductively on the bed. "Give us a kiss then."

William: "Why did you? You knew, you knew she was mine."

Angelus: "Did I?"

William: "You knew bloody well." William pushes Angelus off of him and then punches him in the cheek. He lunges at Angelus, who pushes him to the floor with no effort.

Angelus: "Just don't get it now, do ya?" He picks William up and sets him on the chaise lounge next to the corpses, pushing the woman to the floor so he can take a seat next to William. "Well, you're new, and a little dim, so let me explain to ya how things are now." He claps William on the knee. "There's no belonging or deserving anymore. You can take what you want, have what you want, but nothing is yours. Not even her."

Drusilla is now standing in the doorway between chambers.

William: "You're wrong. We're forever, Drusilla and me."

Drusilla: "Are we?" Drusilla touches her hands over her chest.

Angelus: "Still the poet, aren't we Willie?"

William: "William."

Angelus: "Right, William. You know you really should find a new name for yourself, it just doesn't strike the right note of terror." He walks to stand behind Drusilla. "Tell you what, William, if you want her, come and take her." Angelus wraps his arms around Drusilla's waist, and then she raises her hands to William, who then lunges at them.

Cut to Angel and Spike fighting. Spike tackles Angel just as he is reaching out for the cup. They are both bleeding from their mouths, hands on each other's throats.

Spike: "Come on hero, tell me more. Teach me what it means, and I'll tell you why you can't stand the bloody sight of me." They keep punching each other.

Angel: "Tell it to your therapist."

Spike: "Cause every time you look at me you see all the dirty little things I've done, all the lives I've taken. Drusilla sired me, but you, you made me a monster."

Angel: "I didn't make you Spike, I just opened up the door and let the real you out."

Spike picks up the cross and uses it to bat Angel across the room, he slams into the wall and crumples to the floor, he can't stand.

Spike: "You never knew the real me." He tosses the cross to the floor. "Too busy trying to see your own reflection, praying there was someone as disgusting as you in the world, so you could stand to live with yourself. Take a long look hero. I'm nothing like you."

Angel: "No, you're less. That's why Buffy never really loved you, because you weren't me."

Spike runs to the wall and picks Angel off the ground.

Spike: "Guess that means she was thinking about you, all those times I was putting it to her."

Angel presses Spike's arms to the side, punches him and throws him across the room, then jumps over too him. Spike jumps up with a shard of wood and jams it into Angel's forearm. Angel backs up and pulls the wood out of his arm.

Angel: "Alright." He morphs into game face. "Let's finish this."

Spike morphs too and they lunge at each other.

Cut to Wolfram and Hart. Eve is seated in the lab, Fred brings her a glass of water.

Fred: "Take small sips. It's gonna hurt to swallow for a while." Eve drinks, then coughs. "You're gonna be okay, it's just..."

Eve: "You don't have to pretend to care."

Fred: "What?"

Eve: "Oh come on Fred, I know what you think of me. What you all..."

Fred: "Look, what Charles said about us thinking you're behind, you know everything, he was under the effects..." Eve gets up. "Eve."

Eve: "I'm not the bad guy."

Cut to Angel and Spike, they are now fighting faster. Angel slices Spike's chest open with the wooden shard.

Angel: "How's that feel?"

Spike: "You tell me." Spike kicks Angel's hand tossing the wood into the air and knocking Angel to the ground. He catches it and jumps on top of Angel, looking over Angel's chest before thrusting the stake into Angel's shoulder. Angel morphs back to human face.

Spike: "Probably should have dusted you." He morphs back. "But honestly, I don't want to hear her bitch about it."

Spike walks towards the cup, Angel pulls the stake from his shoulder and sits up. Spike picks up the cup.

Angel: "Spike wait, wait. It's not a prize you're holding, it's not a trophy, it's a burden. It`s a cross one you're gonna have to bear til it burns you to ashes." Angel stands up, but doesn't lunge at Spike. "Believe me, I know." Spike sets the cup back on the pillar and takes a couple steps towards Angel. "So ask yourself, is this really the destiny that was meant for you. Do you really even want it? Or is it you just want to take something away from me?"

Spike: "Bit of both." He reaches for the cup and takes a drink.

Angel: "Spike!"  He takes a step forward, but has to stop. Spike drops the cup.

Spike: "It's, it's Mountain Dew."

Cut to Wolfram and Hart at sunrise. Angel walks into the lab, he's wiped a little of the blood off of himself, but is still very battered.

Fred: "Angel. God, what happened?"

Angel: "I fell down some stairs. Big stairs? Gunn." He walks to where Gunn and Harmony are strapped to gurney's.

Fred: "We've tried everything, medical, mystical nothing's stopping it."

Angel: "Still going on?"

Fred: "And getting worse. What about the cup? Did you..."

Angel: "Nah, it was a fake, somebody set us up."

Fred: "What? Who?"

Angel: "Well, I don't know. Sirk was the one who sent us there, maybe he's..."

Spike: "Gone. Cleaned out his office and pulled a puff of smoke."

Fred: "Stairs huh?"

Angel: "Alright, Sirk's gone, the cup's a fake, but the madness is real. So what're we gonna do about it?"

Gunn: "I say we start by untying the brother."

Fred: "Charles."

Harmony: "Am I in trouble?" She pulls at the restraints. Angel lets her up while Fred let's Gunn up.

Gunn: "Hey, what the hell happened?"

Cut to the boardroom adjacent to Angel's office. Gunn is holding an ice pack to his head, everyone is sitting.

Eve: "Senior Partners stepped in. Apparently they were working on the problem since it started. They managed to temporarily stabilize the universal equilibrium."

Angel: "Temporarily? For how long? What about Sirk and his fantasy he fed us about the cup?"

Eve: "Partners don't know a thing about it. They're as angry as you."

Angel: "Really doubt that."

Eve: "Don't worry Angel, Sirk can't hide for long. We'll bring him in, find out who put him up to it. Now, if you'll excuse me I have to go home and ice my neck." She stands up.

Gunn: "Uh, Eve? Listen, I'm really..." Gunn stands up and joins her.

Eve "Don't sweat it counselor, you have other things to worry about. The whole Shanshu thing is still unresolved, still two vampires with souls. Guess that's a question for another day."

Gunn: "Any more days like today and there won't be another day."

Spike: "Yeah, well, meantime, this souled ex ghost vampire's got some corporeal drinking to catch up on. Whatdya say Charlie Boy, feel like getting pissed."

Gunn: "Nah, No man, my head feels like it's gonna split open and toss my toys and candy all over the floor."

Spike: "You're way ahead of me, fair enough."

Angel: "Maybe you should have Fred check you out."

Gunn: "Nah, she'll just want to strap me down again. You okay?"

Angel: "I don't know. He beat me, Gunn."

Gunn: "Who Spike? Looks to me like he got as good as he..."

Angel: "No, he beat me to the cup."

Gunn: "You mean the fake cup? The make believe fairy tale cup? So what?"

Angel: "No, you don't...He won the fight Gunn. For the first time. Doesn't matter if the cup is real or not, in the end he, Spike was stronger, he wanted it more."

Gunn: "Angel it doesn't mean anything."

Angel: "What if it does? What if it means...I'm not the one?"

Cut to a room, there are runes painted on every surface. Eve enters the room and shuts the door. She starts undressing. We do not see who she is talking to.

Eve: "You know, funny thing about throwing the universe out of whack, not as fun as it sounds. On the plus side, they totally fell for the cup of torment thing, just like you thought they would. And our Mr. Sirk pulled off his vanishing act without a hitch, right under the Senior Partner's noses. And you might be happy to know, Team Angel is on red alert. Could be they think the partners just fired a warning shot across their bow. Oh, and by the way, Spike didn't kill Angel, but they did beat each other to bloody pulps."

She climbs into bed, next to Lindsey McDonald. His hair is much longer than when we last saw him in Dead End. He has an earring and his body is covered in the same runes that cover the walls. He kisses Eve on the forehead.

Lindsey: "Well, it's a start."