03x08 - Quickening

[bunniefuu]

Previously on Angel:

Quick sh*ts 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 k*ll 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 k*lled 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 sh*t this into your stomach, it wouldn't do anything?"

Darla spreads her hands: "Fire away."

Angel steps between them: "No one is f*ring 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 b*at 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 k*ll 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 p*stol 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 k*lling Angelus and Darla."

Holtz turns away: "I don't need your help. I'll k*ll 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 k*lled."

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 k*ll 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 b*at 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 k*ll 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 k*ll 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 k*ll 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 Kn*fe can't hurt the baby."

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

The vampire leader smiles.

Darla: "Here we go."

The vampires att*ck and a big fight ensues.

Wes: "Everybody out!"

The g*ng 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 k*ll 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 g*n 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 b*at: "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.