"Shiny Happy People"
Things pick up from the ending of the previous episode
("Inside Out")
with Connor and Angel kneeling before the woman, enchanted by her.
The woman walks across the room, retrieves a blanket from the floor and wraps it around her naked body. She smiles as she looks around, appreciating the world she's been newly born into. She walks over to an unconscious Cordelia, kneels beside her and thanks her for protecting her and caring for her. She says Cordy can "rest peacefully now, I'm here." Connor says all Cordy wanted was to give the woman life. The woman notes she can feel all of it. She rises, saying everything is perfect. Angel disagrees. He tells her he came to kill her, his shame in that admission evident. He offers the sword he's holding, telling her he should be punished. He bows his head. She takes the sword, telling him she can feel his suffering, it will end now. She raises the sword. After a brief moment, Angel looks up, the woman has disappeared. In the back office at the hotel, Fred is cleaning up the mess of books and papers scattered everywhere. Lorne casually adjusts the glass shade on the desk lamp, then returns to his drink. He notes her compulsive cleaning is making him edgy. Fred is distracted by a noise. She asks what it is. Lorne explains it's nothing to worry about, just a saw. Wes and Gunn are in the basement dismembering Skip's corpse. Fred says there's been a bit too much dismembering going on in the basement lately. Lorne agrees it's been busy. Fred asks why it had to be "her." Lorne asks for clarification of what she's referring to. Fred wonders why it had to be Cordelia, why the Master couldn't have chosen "some horrible, evil, awful person to be its vessel." Lorne reckons it couldn't have blended in very easily in that case. Fred says Angel has been gone a long time. She wonders if he found Connor and Cordelia. She wonders what happens if Angel found them too late, after the birth of the "baby, or the Hellspawn, or whatever it is." She reminds Lorne of the previously reached conclusion that the Master was giving birth to itself. She wonders what happens if Angel didn't get there in time to stop it. She thinks that over a minute, then figures maybe it's worse if he managed to arrive in time. She asks if Lorne thinks Angel could really kill Cordelia. Lorne asks, "To save the world?" Fred hears the lobby door open. She grabs a short sword and rushes out. Lorne follows. Fred confronts Connor who's strolling across the lobby, a knife in his hand. She orders him to drop the blade. Connor smiles, reminding her she's always nagging him to pick up his things, he was just going to put the knife away. Fred asks if he's still evil, admitting she's confused. Angel tells her it's okay, Connor is with him. Fred looks across the lobby and sees Angel standing beside the couch where Cordelia is laying. Fred puts her weapon down and rushes to the couch. She asks if Cordy is --. Angel calmly tells her "No, she's not dead, she's just resting. She's in a peaceful place." Gunn and Wes come upstairs into the lobby and rush to check on Cordelia. Fred starts to clarify what she'd started to say but looking at Cordy answered her question. She observes Cordy isn't pregnant anymore. Angel smiles and confirms, "No, not anymore." Wes asks if Angel was too late, if "the thing" was born. Lorne figures it wasn't a normal baby. Angel answers, "Not exactly." Gunn looks for confirmation Angel killed it. Angel backs away and sits on the steps, stammering, saying he tried, he was going to -- Connor tells him to stop torturing himself. He tells the others Angel has been upset like this all the way back to the hotel. Wes asks if "it" got away. Angel sadly answers, "It disappeared. It didn't even say good-bye." A confused Fred asks, "Like baby evil?" Wes reckons they aren't talking about an infant. Connor confirms they're not. Gunn asks what they're dealing with. Fred asks if it has "Eight legs? Three heads? Horns?" Lorne takes exception to the horns part of the question. Fred apologizes. Connor answers matter-of-factly, "Two legs, one head, no horns." Lorne asks if it's green. Angel answers, "No, more like mocha." He says they need to find her. Wes agrees as he and the others head for the weapons cabinet. Gunn notes his hope it's easier to kill than the Beast. Connor tells them they won't be killing it. Gunn asks, "Since when?" Angel smiles as he answers, "Since we've all been saved." Fred figures that's "crazy talk." Angel chuckles, puts his arm around Connor and notes the others don't understand. He walks over to Wes and takes the ax out of his hands. He says they don't want to kill her, they want to find her "so we can worship her." Connor tells them "She's amazing, you'll go nuts." Gunn reckons they'll better be able to relate to Connor and Angel then. Angel tells them they'll understand when they meet her. Wes tells Angel that whatever it is he's feeling it's some kind of enchantment, a spell. He tries to get him to clear his mind about what's happened, reminding him of the things the Master caused Cordelia to do. He says the "horrors done in its name --" The woman's voice says, "must be rectified." Wes looks up at the landing and sees the woman standing there. Angel smiles and drops to his knees, as does Connor. Lorne, Fred and Gunn also go to their knees, one by one. The woman descends the stairs, telling them they've been "drowning in the fight and the pain" for a long time. She says she wants to help, if they'll let her. Wes drops to one knee and asks her to tell them what to do. She looks upon them, a broad smile on her face. In one of the rooms in the hotel, the gang light candles. Cordelia is lying on the bed. Fred figures Cordy must be very happy, having given birth to the woman. She considers that an honor. The woman says she's the one who's honored, by all of them. She tells them it's good to be back. Wes wonders what that means. The woman tells her story as the others look on, fully engrossed in the narrative. "In the beginning, before the time of man, great beings walked the earth. Untold power emanated from all quarters. The seeds of what would come to be known as good and evil. But the shadows stretched, and became darkness. And the malevolent among us grew stronger. The earth became a demon realm. Those of us who had the will to resist left this place but we remained ever watchful." Gunn asks if she's a "power that .. was?" The woman smiles at him and continues her story. "But then something new emerged, neither demon nor god." Wes quietly says, "Man." The woman nods and continues. "And it seemed, for a time, that through this new race a balance might be restored." Fred figures the woman must feel let down if that's what was expected. The woman assures her that's not true, saying they are the ones who failed man. She says they relegated themselves to the role of observers but she couldn't remain in that role anymore. She couldn't bear watching the suffering, she had to find a way to return. She goes on to explain how that happened as she brushes her hand against the side of Connor's face. She needed a miracle first, so she arranged one, through Angel and Darla. She says that's where it began, "Two vampires, creatures once human, corrupted by darkness." She notes Angel had a soul, he was already a miracle. Angel asks how. The woman answers, "Through Lorne." A startled Lorne reacts with, "Huh?" The woman explains that it began with Lorne's sending Angel and Darla to the trials ("The Trial"), where Angel tried to earn "a new chance at life." Angel notes that he failed in that endeavor. The woman assures him he did not, saying he did earn a life. She looks at Connor and tells Angel, "there it is." She says everything that happened has led to her return to the "physical plane." She understands things have been chaotic. Wes realizes everything that's been happening the past few months was part of the "birth pains." The woman confirms that but assures him that part is over now. Lorne reckons the woman has brought the light back to the world. Angel asks if Cordelia will wake up. The woman answers, if they take hold of the world and defeat evil, yes she thinks Cordy will awaken. Fred asks how they're going to accomplish that. The woman tells them they'll defeat it one battle at a time. She says there's been much damage done in her name, there are forces of hate throughout the city. Fred enthusiastically realizes they're going to "destroy them." The woman tells her they'll "change the world." Angel says, "Finally." A bunch of vamps are hanging out at a pillaged bowling alley. One of them is bowling with a human head. The head rolls down the alley and comes to a stop before it reaches the pins. The disappointed vamp realizes this isn't going to work. One of the other vamps notes he could have told him that, then orders him to "clean up my lane, jackass." The younger vamp walks down the alley and retrieves the severed head. He sarcastically notes it was the other vamp's idea to go to L.A. where the sun was permanently blotted out, reminding him he promised a never-ending feast. He notes the sun is back and there's nothing to do but bowl, something he's bored with. The other vamp says he feels something is coming and when it arrives, "We're gonna be in prime position for --" Angel offers a finish for that comment, "An ass whuppin?" Angel is joined by Wes, Gunn, Connor, Fred and the woman. As the guys fight while Fred and the woman look on. The woman smiles as the vamps get beaten and dusted in front of her. She watches the action a moment then asks Fred to sit with her. Fred, crossbow at the ready, wonders if that's a good idea. The woman tells her they have nothing to fear. They take a seat as the fight continues to rage around them. The woman asks Fred what they should call her. Fred realizes the woman has no name, she really should have one. The woman smiles and agrees. Fred offers that she can't think of anything that can sum up the woman. She notes she's a "superior being" and asks if she wouldn't prefer to choose her own name. The woman says those born to this earth don't choose their own names, "They're named by those who love them." She admits there are rules even she has to follow. One of the vamps runs up to the woman and claws her arm. A horrified Fred apologizes. The woman looks quizzically at the bleeding wound, then smiles and assures Fred it's okay, she'll be fine. She reminds Fred she did try to warn her. Angel runs after the vamp that attacked the woman. He chases him through the pin setting machinery, out the door and into the outdoor dining area of a restaurant. The fleeing vamp runs into someone and gets knocked into a young guy, seated at a table. The vamp ends up on the floor, on top of the guy and scratches the guy's chest. Angel catches up with the vamp. Connor arrives and tosses Angel a stake. Angel dusts the vamp as the restaurant's shocked patrons look on. Wes and the others arrive as Angel assures the patrons it's over, everything is okay now. The customers begin to fall to their knees as the woman enters. She directs them to rise, telling them if they want to honor her, "honor each other, we are all one." A man notes the blood on the woman's arm. She assures him she'll be all right, "everything will be all right." A young woman says her life has been empty, she asks if that's over now The woman addresses her by name, Margaret, and assures her that yes, that's over now. She says she knows all of them, she's come there for them. She's come to bring them peace, to free them from pain and suffering. She promises the world will be forever changed and "you will know the power of my love." Angel stands next to her. The young man who had been knocked to the floor from his table by the vampire's entrance earlier, stalks around the room, looking anxiously at the woman as she's speaking. He picks up a knife from a nearby table as the woman tells the others that harmony will be restored. The man calls her a "monster" and screams, "It has to die!" as he rushes toward her with the knife. Angel morphs into vamp face and stops him before he gets to his intended target. He knocks the guy to the ground near a fountain and brutally punches him repeatedly in the face, until he's bloodied. The woman walks up to Angel, gently lays her hand on his shoulder, and calmly tells him to stop. He obeys her, morphing back into human face and stepping back. The beaten guy sobs, asking if nobody else can see it. The woman moves toward him. He tells her not to touch him. She reaches out and caresses the side of his face. She speaks soothingly to him then directs Wes to get help. Wes offers to call an ambulance. The woman tells the others that the beaten man is full of fear and anger, alone and destined to remain that way, but they have found each other. At the hotel, Gunn and Wes clean weapons while they ponder names for the woman as she looks on. Gunn offers "Helen." Wes thinks that sounds nice but he was thinking of "Dianthia" or "Iphigenia". Gunn thinks those are a mouthful. Wes adds "Aristophila" as an option. He starts to tell Gunn what that means, but the woman beats him to it as she says, "Supreme lover of mankind." She likes it. Gunn notes "Helen" was his grandmother's name. The woman assures him she likes that name too. Fred comes in and suggests "Clorox." Gunn ponders that, "Clorox, she bleaches away the hate." Wes reckons they should probably avoid brand names. Fred says she was referring to the bloodstain on the sleeve of the shirt the woman was wearing at the bowling alley. She hasn't been able to get the stain out and is upset by her failure. The woman tells her it doesn't matter. Fred insists it does, she feels she should be able to get it "good as new" again. The woman reassures her she doesn't have to worry about it, "It's just a shirt." Fred says it was on the woman, "on your holy body-ness." She feels it's her fault the woman was hurt. The woman doesn't blame her, noting it was a "new and vivid experience." She enjoys the sensations of living, even pain. She notes the others take their senses for granted. Fred suddenly gets an idea to try club soda on the stain and rushes out of the lobby. Connor enters. Gunn laughs, noting it's best to let Fred do her thing. Wes smiles, adding she can be single minded when she focuses on something. The woman observes they both love Fred. She reckons the fact they both love Fred should bring them together, not drive them apart. Connor walks up to the woman, telling her he's sorry she got hurt. She removes the cloth she was holding against the wound and reveals her arm, completely healed. A surprised Connor remembers it was bleeding quite profusely. The woman says she heals quickly, figuring "it must be a benefit of being a former power." Connor asks what was wrong with the man who attacked her at the restaurant. He wonders why the man wanted to harm her. The woman says she doesn't know but some people aren't able to accept change. They are afraid of it and that turns to hate. She says they take that hatred out on others, "or sometimes, on themselves." The woman walks out into the garden where Angel is sitting. She notes the lovely fragrance of the flowers. She asks what it is. Angel quietly tells her it's the jasmine. She smells the air and notes, "Night blooming. So beautiful. So lonely. Like you." She walks up to Angel. He's upset, telling her he "shamed her" by almost killing that man. He's afraid he would have if she hadn't stopped him. The woman tells him he was protecting her, there's no shame in that. Angel doesn't want to disappoint her again. She tells him not to then. He doesn't figure it's that simple. She wonders why not. He tells her it's about what he's feeling. The woman suggests he let go of the anger he feels toward her attacker. Angel explains it's not about anger, it's happiness. He looks upon her smiling face and tells her how happy he is she's there. She wonders if that's a problem. He tells her it is, "If I get too happy, if I allow myself to feel what I'm feeling, Angelus might --" The woman understands but tells him soon none of it will matter. She says evil will be banished by their deeds, even the evil inside of himself. "That too will be gone and all that will be left is the beauty." Angel wonders if it's possible to eliminate all evil, noting they've fought for a long time. The woman says she's seen all of it, it's the reason she came back. She reaches out and lightly touches his chin, gently tipping his head up to look at her. She tells him he's her general, she has faith in him. Angel seems quite stunned that she believes in him. She tells him she has faith in all of her "warriors." Angel turns to see Gunn, Connor, Fred and Wes standing on the garden landing. The woman says they're all up to the task. As scenes of the gang fighting various battles play out, the woman says they aren't alone anymore, wherever they go, she'll be with them, at their side. The battle scenes are interspersed with scenes of Fred, frantically scrubbing her fingers bloody working on the woman's shirt, still trying to get the bloodstain out of it. The battle scenes continue as the gang fight various demons; stabbing, hacking and decapitating. The woman's voice calmly assuring them she will guide them, all things are possible with her help. "There will be no doubt, no worry, no fear. For you will know you cannot be beaten." In the hotel lobby, everyone watches the local news as the anchorwoman notes after a peak in violence in the city, it seems there's been a sudden, and sustained, downturn. She reports the police department attributes the drop in crime to their "get tough" policy, instituted the previous month. Angel switches off the television, noting "A little credit for the 'Divinity behind the scenes' policy wouldn't suck." The woman tells him it doesn't matter who gets the credit. All that matters is they're winning. Gunn reckons before too long LA will be a demon free zone. Angel is grateful the woman never doubted them. She says there's no room for doubt, "only love." Lorne comes downstairs into the lobby. Connor tells him the news about the decrease in violent crime. Lorne is glad to hear it but he has something else on his mind. He tells the woman he has a surprise for her upstairs. She says surprises are "one of my favorite things about being human" as she links her arm in his and accompanies him upstairs. Wes, Connor, Gunn and Angel look on, smiling. Fred comes in and displays the woman's shirt. She asks the others what they think. Wes notes it looks like new. Fred breaks down crying and admits it is. She couldn't get the stain out so she replaced the shirt with a new one. She sits on the step, crying. Wes tells her that will be even better as he and Angel move to her and sit next to her. Angel asks what's wrong, assuring Fred the woman will love the shirt. Fred sobs, "She's not here." Gunn tells her the woman is upstairs. Fred clutches the shirt, saying "When she's not here, I hurt." Lorne opens the door to one of the hotel rooms, showing the woman the new decor he did for her. She expresses her appreciation. Lorne worries it's a little "too diva." She tells him it's beautiful and notes the favored scent of jasmine. She thanks him for his efforts. He's happy she's pleased. He offers to leave her alone for a while. He exits the room, leaving the door to the hallway open. The woman senses someone, noting "You're troubled." Connor shows up in the hall outside of the doorway. She invites him in, asking what's upsetting him. He enters and sits down, telling her he can't talk about it. She assures him he can tell her anything. He says Cordelia used to say that to him. He admits to what he's thinking. With the woman there, Connor finally understands why he was created. His purpose was to bring her there. She acknowledges that but adds, "and so much more." Connor doesn't believe he deserves to be happy, admitting he's "done things", betrayed his father, hurt people. The woman says she knows, she's seen all of it. She's watched him "all your life, and before." She says he deserves all the happiness she can give him. Connor relaxes a bit, smiles and asks why him. The woman tells him she needed a "unique soul" to create her. It was him. She adds she chose him to be her father before he was born and together they will change the world. Connor notes his father is the champion. The woman answers, "Everything has its season. It's your time, Connor. Your destiny." Fred comes in offering apologies for replacing the shirt, rambling on about her efforts to get the stain out of the original being unsuccessful, how she'd scrubbed her fingers bloody but it wouldn't come out. She looks up from the shirt to the woman's face and sees a decaying, maggot encrusted visage. The woman asks if something is wrong. A shocked Fred tries to cover as she notices Connor looking on calmly. She whimpers and closes her eyes. She apologizes. Connor gets up and offers to get her some water. A sobbing Fred declines. She stammers, assuring Connor she'll be okay. Gunn, Lorne and Wes come in. Lorne asks why she's crying. Wes tells her there's no need for that, the woman is right there in the room. Fred says she was just thinking about what it would be like if the woman wasn't there and "I guess, I kinda lost it." The woman says she isn't going anywhere, Fred can trust in that. Fred continues sobbing and babbling. She thinks she could use some time alone to "count my blessings, 'cause there's so many ... and it's good to .. um .. take stock." She hands the shirt to Wes and walks out. The others watch suspiciously. Fred sits next to an unconscious Cordelia, speaking to her. She remembers when Lorne read Cordelia and got sick from it ("Slouching Toward Bethlehem"). She wonders if what he saw was all true, but worse because they don't even know to fight it, not even Angel. She starts to say she wishes Cordy could -- Angel comes in and tells her he knows what she's thinking. Fred looks hopeful for a moment, thinking there's a possibility she's not alone. Angel tells her sometimes when he's looked in the woman's eyes, he's seen it too, "It's overwhelming. The lies, the deceit .." Fred gets her hopes up a bit then Angel dashes them with a smile and the finish to his thought, "It all melts away. Nothing left but the beauty." Fred reluctantly agrees as Angel moves over to the bed, looks down at Cordelia and says, "I can't believe I almost --" He adds it seems like it was a very long time ago. Fred notes it's all very different than they expected. Angel agrees, expecting a "big hideous evil trying to end the world" and getting the opposite was a nice surprise. Fred pushes gently, noting things seem so easy since the woman's arrival. Angel agrees with that, telling her it feels almost like a dream. Fred wonders if Angel has noticed they all do whatever the woman says, without question. Angel asks if it isn't a relief to have the constant questioning ended. Fred smiles weakly. Fred arrives at a hospital and approaches the nurses desk. She nervously inquires about a patient. She says the name is "Stover." The nurse asks if Fred is family. She says she is, "He's my brother .. father .. my father's brother." The nurse looks at her skeptically, then punches the inquiry into her keyboard. She looks at the computer screen and tells Fred they have a patient named "Stoler." Fred tries to work her way out of it, "Half-brother ... uncle .. half-uncle ... Stoler. That's it." She looks at the incredulous nurse and says she really needs to know if he's okay. The nurse tells Fred who treated the man. Fred asks if he's still there. The nurse answers he was transferred to the psychiatric unit. Fred walks up to the door of the psych. ward, discovering the door is locked and requires a combination be punched into an electronic keypad for entry. She hears someone coming out and moves across the hall. The door opens, a nurse exits, Fred enters before the door has a chance to close behind the nurse. Fred walks into Stoler's room and calls his name, John Stoler. The man is lying on the bed, in restraints. He keeps his face turned away from Fred and tells her to leave. Fred comes further into the room, telling him she has to ask him something. She asks if he has a history of mental illness. She tries to clarify, explaining what she meant to ask was if he's been in the psych. ward before. He wonders if she wants to know if he's crazy. She asks if he was before Thursday. He keeps his face turned away from her. Fred says she doesn't believe he's crazy. She thinks she knows what he saw because she saw it as well. She starts to say "The woman you attacked --" John tells her it's not a woman. Fred goes on, noting her face was horrible, "decay, blood, things living there." John asks if she saw it. She admits she did. He asks if it touched her. Fred asks, "What?" John turns to face her, revealing the side of his face the woman touched is now grossly disfigured. He tells Fred not to let it touch her. A horrified Fred manages to keep her composure as she asks if the woman did that to him. He begs her to get him out of the restraints, saying he has to finish it. Fred asks just what he needs to finish. He answers, "She has to die. We have to kill it." Fred isn't thrilled with the inclusive "we". She stammers, not knowing what to say John reminds her she'd said she saw it. Fred confirms she did. John tells her she's been "called to the mission." Fred doesn't like the sound of that. She assures John she doesn't get called, "I'm not the called type." She just takes messages for her boss, he's the one who gets called. John tells her it's their "duty", the others won't see. Fred thinks he's wrong. She believes if what they saw is real, there are others who will understand and help. John sits up and tells her again, more forcefully, she's been called. Fred backs away from the bed, insisting she hasn't been. Her cell phone rings. She notes "That's just eerie." She looks at the phone's display and says it's Angel, the others are probably wondering where she is. John tells her she has to do it. She backs toward the door, nervously thanking him for his time, apologizing for the disturbance. John shouts after her as she leaves, "Don't trust anyone!" Fred arrives back at the Hyperion to find it crowded with people, gushing over the woman. Lorne cheerfully welcomes her back and asks where she's been. Fred asks about the crowd. Lorne says the woman went out for a walk and the throng followed her back. He thinks it's "fabulous". He laughs, excuses himself and moves away to talk to someone else. Fred approaches Wes who's engaged in conversation with a group of people. Wes asks Fred if she can believe it (referring to the crowd in the hotel), then notes her expression and asks what's wrong. She tells him she needs him. They move aside. Fred asks if he'd trust her if she were to tell him something he might not want to know. Wes assures her he will. Fred admits she went to see the man from the restaurant. Wes asks why she went to see the "attacker." Fred answers she wanted to know why he did what he did. She says the man saw something and she saw it too. She needed to know if she saw the same thing he did. Wes asks if it was. She admits it was. Wes looks at her intensely as she continues, telling him it will be hard for him to accept but -- We move away from their conversation a moment, showing the viewpoint of Gunn, standing above them on the balcony, watching them at the desk. Wes responds to what Fred has said with, "Rotting flesh? Really?" Fred doesn't think he believes her. He tells her if she says she saw it, he believes her. A visibly relieved Fred tells him John warned her not to tell anybody, but she knew she could trust Wes. He assures her she did the right thing as the sound of applause fills the lobby. Wes and Fred look up at the balcony above the lobby and note the arrival of the woman, flanked by Connor and Angel. Fred asks Wes if he'll help her. He assures her he will. He directs her to wait there then heads up the steps toward the balcony. Wes stops briefly on the stairs and converses with Gunn. They both look suspiciously toward Fred who notes their expressions with concern. Wes continues up the stairs to where the woman is standing as Gunn enters the lobby. He continues glaring at Fred as he converses quietly with Lorne who turns and eyes Fred with distrust. Wes has a chat with the woman. Fred observes all of this, becoming more anxious by the moment. She moves toward the weapons cabinet, retrieving a knife and a crossbow. She aims the crossbow at the woman. She apologizes and fires. Angel and Connor leap in front of the woman and over the balcony railing. Angel takes the crossbow bolt in the shoulder. He pulls it out and gets to his feet. Lorne storms toward Fred, demanding to know if she's lost her mind. Fred drops the crossbow, pulls the knife and grabs Lorne, putting the blade to his throat. She warns the others to stay away from her. Angel tells her to put the knife down. Fred threatens to kill Lorne. Gunn doesn't think she knows what she's doing. She repeats the threat. Lorne suggests she calm down. The woman tells her there's nowhere for Fred to go, "My love will follow you everywhere." Fred shoves Lorne away from her and runs out of the hotel. Angel starts to rush out after Fred but the woman stops him, telling him it's not time. She tells the crowd they gathered in peace, they shouldn't let Fred take that from them. Fred drives in the darkness for a while, then pulls to the side of a deserted road and breaks down, crying. At the hotel, Wes expresses his disbelief that Fred turned out to be evil. Gunn reckons they should have seen it coming. Lorne notes, "Nothing like a homicidal maniac to put a damper on an impromptu spiritual gathering." The woman offers what the crowd saw isn't what she would have wanted, but they all understand the reality of what hatred can do to someone now. Angel brings the woman a bouquet of jasmine, saying they have to find Fred. The woman accepts the flowers and thanks him, saying she finds the scent soothing. Angel figures he and Connor can pick up Fred's trail if they leave now. The woman understands how they feel, they trusted Fred and were betrayed by her. Gunn notes what matters is Fred tried to kill her. The woman tells them that makes her sad. Lorne mutters he should have let Fred decapitate him. The woman looks at him. He clarifies his species has a "decapitation loophole." Connor notes that she might have stabbed him and let him bleed to death. Angel wonders how he could have missed it. The woman tells him they all did, he can't blame himself. Angel notes Fred was acting strangely, he "thought it was just Fred being Fred." Wes is surprised Fred would have gone to the hospital to see the guy who had attacked the woman. Gunn reckons once the guy had Fred there, he messed with her mind somehow. Connor wonders if the guy made Fred do it by using magick on her. The woman doesn't think Fred knows why she did what she did, why she's determined to destroy everything they're trying to build. She says that makes her "even more dangerous." Angel decides they have to kill her, they don't have a choice. Wes adds that as long as Fred is on the loose, she's a threat. The woman tells them it might come to that, but they have to try to help her first, "Get to the root of the hatred that's infected her heart." Angel says they can only do that if they bring her back. He's ready to start searching. The others are prepared to join him. The woman stops them, saying they'll find her, but not tonight. "Tomorrow will be easier than today. We'll have eyes everywhere." Fred sits at the counter of a diner where she's served her breakfast order. A heavy set, grungy guy slides the plate in front of her and notes she looks like she's just lost her best friend. She starts to explain her mood but he walks away, not interested in conversation. Fred looks up at the television and sees the local morning show on the air. The hostess announces the presence of a "very special visitor" and introduces "Jasmine." The image of the woman fills the television screen as she greets Los Angeles. A stunned Fred watches. The hostess tells Jasmine they want to know all about her. Jasmine starts her "Before the time of man" speech. Fred gets up from the counter and turns, finding everyone in the diner on their knees, transfixed by the image of Jasmine flickering on the television screen. Fred walks out of the diner and finds the street nearly empty. She looks around and walks on down the sidewalk, afraid and alone. A guy in a business suit, carrying a briefcase, stops outside of the diner window and peers through it. He falls to his knees on the sidewalk while continuing to stare through the window.
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