aired on: February 27, 2001

written by: Tim Minear

directed by: Tom Wright

Angel and Darla lie in bed, sleeping, when Angel wakes up startled, in pain. "Don't fight it, my love," Darla says, "Just let it happen. It'll only hurt for a minute." She tells him his soul is gone. But Angel says she saved him - he still has a soul. He explains that when they had sex, it wasn't perfect happiness for him, it was perfect despair, and she was the reason. He thought if he could save her, he could save himself, but when he failed, she saved him. Then he remembers Kate. He tells Darla to get dressed and leave, because the next time he sees her, he'll have to kill her.

Angel races over to Kate's to find her passed out. He rushes her into the shower, where the cold water revives her. Once she's recovered, she thanks him - then sends him away.

Meanwhile, Lindsey returns to his apartment to find Darla. He tells her they called an emergency meeting after what happened, and the official order on her was to stake on sight. Then he sees that she has the Band of Blacknel. Lindsey wants to know how she got it.

Angel goes to see the Host at The Caritas. He sees Angel's had a moment of clarity, and now he has to go on to a new place, but Angel doesn't know if he can. He wants to know what The Powers That Be want him to do, but the Host reminds him that he's not Angel's link to The Powers. Angel wonders if his old team will even talk to him. The Host says that's not the problem - the problem is whether they'll live through the night.

Cordelia has caught a taxi to the Sharp family's house. Earlier, Wesley had helped remove a demon from their daughter's head, and Cordelia is coming by to pick up the check. But when Cordelia enters the house, she finds the family dead. Then she has a vision, of herself being attacked by demons. And then she's attacked by demons.

But they don't kill her. They say she destroyed their spawn, and will pay for it. They also want Wesley and Gunn to pay; they've already located Wesley. Then Cordelia sees that the demons have third eyes in the backs of their heads, just like the little girl they helped.

At Wesley's, two demons prepare to attack, but before they can, Angel arrives. Wesley invites him in, and together they slay the demons. Then they hop in Angel's car and drive to the office. Wesley explains that they're dealing with Skilosh demons, which inject their spawn in human hosts. Back at the Sharp's, the demons sense that two of their tribe are dead, and determine that more must rise - so they decide to inject Cordelia.

When Angel and Wesley get to the office, Gunn arrives. They find directions to the Sharp's on Cordelia's notepad, and head that way. Meanwhile, Cordelia wakes up there with a third eye in the back of her head.

As Angel, Gunn and Wesley drive to the Sharp's, Skilosh demons jump on the car, then start coming from all directions. Angel sends Wesley and Gunn ahead; he'll stay behind to fight. But when they pull away, the demons back off - a truck is barreling down the road straight at Angel. Lindsey's behind the wheel. He's angry - he wants to hear from Angel what he did to Darla - and he starts bashing Angel with a sledgehammer. When he turns back to the truck to get a stake, Angel jumps up, smashes Lindsey with the hammer, and takes the truck.

At the Sharp's, the demons have caught Gunn and Wesley as they waited outside for Angel. As they bring them into the house, Angel drives through the living room window. He and Gunn defeat the demons, and Wesley uses de-oculating powder to get rid of Cordelia's third eye.

When Lindsey returns to his apartment, Darla - and all her things - is gone. Back at the Hyperion, Angel explains his epiphany to Kate. "In the big picture, nothing we do matters . . . and if there's no great glorious end to all this, if nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do, because that's all there is, what we do now, today." Kate thanks him; she knows she got a huge break, and it's given her faith. She thinks maybe they're not alone in this - because she never invited him in.

Later, Angel appears at the office, and apologizes to the team. But he doesn't want them to come back and work for him - he wants to come work for them. He thinks he can help. He knows he'll have to earn their trust. And then Cordelia has a vision. Angel agrees to drive.