aired on: January 16, 2001

written by: Mere Smith

directed by: Michael Grossman

Cordelia, Wesley and Gunn walk out of the office, trying to figure out why Angel fired them. The only reason they can come up with is Darla. Wesley says maybe Angel just needs to be alone for a while. Inside, alone in the basement, Angel places his sketches of Darla in the wood burning stove. "I'm not ready yet," he thinks, as he begins working out - pull-ups, sit-ups, push-ups, boxing. "Too many years spent sleeping in soft beds, living in a world where I don't belong. I can't do it yet. Not now. But soon."

At Holland's house, paramedics tend to the bodies from the massacre. But there are two survivors - Lilah and Lindsey.

The next day, they return to the Wolfram & Hart offices to find a chilly reception - no cards, no flowers, no empathy. Lilah worries that since they survived, they'll take the fall for what happened. When they walk into Lindsey's office, Drusilla and Darla are waiting for them.

Lindsey asks Darla why she spared him. Darla explains that she and Drusilla have decided to keep the line of communication open between themselves and Wolfram & Hart; she believes they can help each other. Darla wants power, and says she and Dru plan on being big players in this town. Lindsey asks if she'll go after Angel, but Darla says not everything is about Angel. Lindsey says he thought she'd want to kill him. "All in good time," replies Darla.

Meanwhile, Angel tests out his moves on four vampires returning from a feeding at a fast-food joint. When he's slayed them all, Angel decides he's ready. He has the moves; now he has to find out what theirs are.

At The Caritas, Wesley has a drink and prepares himself to sing karaoke when he sees Cordelia. She's looking to find out what's in her future as well. But they're not alone - Gunn is there to sing, too.

In another part of town, Angel squeezes his old buddy Merl him for information. Merl tells Angel that Darla and Drusilla are meeting up with demons all over town, assembling some sort of crew - but there's one demon haunt they haven't hit yet. When Darla and Drusilla arrive at this demon haunt with a proposition, Angel is there, hiding amongst the crowd. As Darla makes her recruiting pitch, Drusilla senses Angel watching them. An unnerved Darla tells the demons where to meet if they want to be a part of the crew, and that there they'll fight for the right to join her.

Later, alone, Angel is feeling that he isn't ready - he can feel Darla's pain; he's too close to fight her. He returns to the Hyperion, and begins assembling weapons.

Back at the karaoke bar, Wesley, Cordelia and Gunn bicker, all blaming each other for getting fired. But soon enough, they're on stage singing, together. After most of the crowd has cleared out, they ask the Host for some guidance. But he says when the big guys talk, he knows when to be quiet - and then Cordelia has a vision. The gang is on its way.

They head to the alley where Cordelia had seen a demon dragging a girl, but the girl is gone. There's blood, but they can't track the scent. Gunn says he wishes Angel was there. A stern Wesley says he's not - he's walked away from his duty, but they're not going to. Then he notices the blood going up the side of the building. They follow the trail inside and spot the girl slumped on the floor. Then the demon attacks, and a battle begins. Gunn ends it when he puts a knife trough the demon's head.

When Darla and Drusilla arrive at their meeting place, they find dead bodies and piles of dust. Across the room, Angel leans against the hood of a car, smoking a cigarette. When Darla calls out to him, he flicks the cigarette into a puddle of gasoline on the floor. The gas ignites, and the flame races across the floor to Darla and Drusilla, who catch on fire. Panicked, Darla cracks open a fire hydrant to extinguish the flames, but they're both badly burned. Angel turns and walks away.

The next day, Lilah and Lindsey are named Wolfram & Hart's acting co-vice presidents in charge of special projects.

Back home, Angel is working on his knife throwing when he receives a visit. It's Wesley, who tells him they're keeping the agency open, with or without him. You may have turned your back on your mission, he says, but we haven't. Someone has to fight the good fight. "Let them fight the good fight," Angel thinks to himself. "Someone has to fight the war."