Angel is apologising to someone, he tells them that night still haunts him, the way he used them to get what he wanted, then cast them aside. ‘He’s reading from cards’ Merl announces. Angel has been trying to apologise to him. Merl’s not having any of it, he doesn’t feel ‘the sincerity.’ Wes, Gunn, Cor, and Lorne are standing around the room watching the exchange. Merl goes to leave, but Cor stands in front of him, reminding him he promised to hear Angel out. Merl is annoyed because Angel is reading from cards. Angel tells them to let him go, it’s pointless. Angel agrees that Merl’s right, he used him to get information out of him. Merl always came through for him. Merl tells them all he never wants to see any of them again, then adds ‘So, who’s giving me a ride home?’

Gunn got the short straw, he pulls up in the truck outside Merl’s place. Merl says he hopes he didn’t take him too far, Gunn pulls off, out of his way. Merl walks inside and picks up the mail. Suddenly, he sees someone (or something?) he is defensive, he backs up against a wall. There are flashes of Merl’s shadow and light, then green blood is splattered across the wall.

Cue opening credits……………. (oh, my, yum)

Gunn is having a dream, it is the actions on the night he staked his sister, who had been turned into a vamp. ‘Alanna’ he cries (in the dream). He shoots up in bed, he is clearly upset. His pager beeps.

We see a lightbulb dripping with luminous greeny yellow goo. Gunn knocks on the doorframe and enters, it’s Merl’s place. Angel turns around to greet Gunn. ‘What’s that?’ Gunn asks, pointing to green slime on the wall, ‘That’s Merl’ Angel replies, ‘Where’s the rest of him?’ Angel points to various places in the room. He popped by that morning to try ‘sincere’ again, he even took donuts, and he found Merl’s remains. They’ve ruled out suicide. Wesley walks through, seeming kinda surprised to see Gunn. He informs them he’s found some of Merl’s papers, and an address book. Gunn asks what they’re doing. They’re looking for evidence. Gunn doesn’t understand why, he didn’t have anything against Merl, but he was just another demon someone killed. He reminds them that they kill demons every day. Wesley explains that Merl was harmless. Gunn still doesn’t get it. Angel is rather miffed cos Gunn is so offhand about killing demons. He remarks that maybe Gunn’s annoyed cos he didn’t get there first (implying that he killed Merl). Gunn wants him to explain what he means. Angel just remarks that it doesn’t usually take two hours for Gunn to answer a page. Gunn retorts that he didn’t know Angel was back in charge, no one told him. The two men are growing rapidly more hostile toward each other. Wes tells Gunn that if he doesn’t want to be involved in this, they will understand, but for now he thinks Gunn should go home. Gunn agrees that that is a good idea. ‘Little creep’ Angel murmurs as Gunn leaves, he’s flicking through addresses. ‘Angel’ Wesley scolds. Angel informs him he meant Merl. He never did really get to know him when he was alive, now he’s gonna have to.

We see Gunn stopping his pick up in daylight, he gets out and walks into his old gang territory. He walks in and is attacked by a guy with an iron bar, Gunn ducks and blocks the blows. He ends up holding the iron bar and knocks the guy to the ground. Another guy comes up behind Gunn, and puts a crossbow to his skull. Gunn turns around, so it’s now pointed at his face. He admires it. A member of Gunn’s old gang comes up to the other side (Rondell). ‘He made it’ he informs crossbow guy (Geo). Geo aims the crossbow away from Gunn, and Gunn pulls up the guy and hands back his iron bar. Gunn was one of the reasons Geo moved to LA. He asks Gunn why is it that the vamps always move to sunny climates? Gunn laughs, until Geo suggests they asks Gunn’s boss that question. Rondell tells him to back off. Gunn informs him that it isn’t a case of ‘if you can’t beat them, join them.’ Geo says he heard that Gunn used to be some big time alpha vampire killer, now he’s working with one, what’s the deal with that? Rondell tells him to chill, and eases the situation by asking Geo who’s guarding outside? Meaning that Geo should, Geo leaves to do his duty. Geo insinuates that maybe Gunn is a vampire now.

Back at Hyperion, Cor is assuring Angel that Fred just needs some time alone. Angel counters that he thinks that’s the problem, she’s already had five years of time alone. Angel watches Fred walking about in the garden, alone. Angel wants Cor to talk to her, she doesn’t think that’s a good idea. ‘You don’t like her?’ Angel questions. ‘Sure I like her. What’s not to like? She’s sweet, and adorable, and… seems to be laughing at something that shrub just said.’ Cor just doesn’t get her. Angel assures her he’s not asking her to ‘get’ her, he just wants Cor to talk to her. He smiles (really yummy) and Cor agrees to talk to her. She hands Angel a list of Merl’s enemies, and walks into Wesley’s office. ‘Hey’ Angel soon follows after her. ‘How come my name’s at the top of this list?’ Cor retorts that it’s cos his name starts with ‘A.’ Angel doesn’t believe he was an enemy of Merl’s. Cor replies that he was, and it’s pretty suspicious that the one day Angel pays Merl a social call he winds up dead. Angel remarks sarcastically ‘Oh sure, I went dark and killed Merl.’ Wes and Cordelia both look at him for a minute. ‘We’ll start at the bottom and work our way backwards’ Wes comments. (Angel is really raising the heat in his leather trousers).

Gunn’s questioning if that’s the way everyone sees him? As a traitor? He’s walking (in the sunlight) with Rondell. They walk into a brick warehouse. Rondell says he doesn’t know which way Gunn’s back is facing, he hasn’t heard from him in months. Gunn tells Rondell that he didn’t mean to disappear on them. Rondell evaluates that Gunn’s really been gone since Alanna. Gunn admits that he felt he couldn’t protect his own sister so how could he do any good? Rondell reminds Gunn that there are people alive today because of him. ‘No, because of us.’ They hug, Gunn is upset.

Angel and Wesley are walking down a hotel corridor. They’re going to see a ‘bookie’ Merl owed a lot of money to. ‘Human or demon?’ Wesley doesn’t know. Angel kicks the door to room 424 open. ‘Demon’ Wesley replies when they see demon blood splattered across the walls. There is also, what we can assume to be, a demon with a dagger protruding from it on the floor. Angel thinks they’re gonna need Gunn. Whatever’s killing the demons is big, powerful and p***ed.

A demon is walking down a sewer tunnel, drinking juice of some kind. He sees something. ‘Hello? Who’s there please?’ he calls. Suddenly, a gang run toward him, weapons raised, he runs but comes to a dead end. He drops the cup, and his blood is splattered all over it. We clearly see one of the gang members, it’s Geo.

Wesley is in the room of Merl’s (now dead) bookie. He is examining the walls. He comes across a glass tipped crossbow bolt. He puts it in a bag and places it on the table. Gunn comes to the open doorway. He got Wesley’s page. He enters the room, and notices the demon blood. He again asks Wesley what they’re doing? Did the Powers That Be send them here? Did Cordy get a vision? Wesley admits this is not the case. Gunn doesn’t understand. If they hunt this demon killer day and night, and finally find it, what are they gonna do? Kill it? Or thank it? Wesley informs Gunn that there are shades of grey…. Gunn doesn’t want to hear.

Wesley informs him that this demon killer is making no distinction, out of the six other demons, only 2 were evil, he’s killing at random. Gunn walks over to the table, and picks up the glass bolt. Angel stands in the doorframe. There’s been a new killing, the demon was utterly non-violent. Gunn pockets the bolt and ells Wesley he’ll check out the streets. He says ‘Hey’ to Angel, then leaves, Angel watches after him suspiciously.

Gunn is back on his old gang turf. He puts the bolt down, and asks Rondell to explain it. Gunn says he recgnises it, it’s from his old rig that Geo is now using. He tells Rondell that Geo is a rogue, and that he should have a talk with him. Rondell knows where it came from, and replies to Gunn that Geo isn’t a rogue. Geo was the one who found the apartment, but they were all there. Gunn asks if the demon attacked anybody? Rondell tells him that they didn’t give it a chance to. Gunn meant had it ever attacked anyone? Rondell replies that they killed it before it ever did. He invites Gunn out with them, they found a nest. Gunn declines. When Rondell leaves, Geo tells Gunn that Rondell still thinks that Gunn is some kind of hero, but that he and Gunn both know he’s not.

At the Hyperion, Wes is going through the evidence bags, Cor is carrying folders whilst Angel is standing around. Wes realises that one of the evidence bags is missing: #11 (he labelled them). Fred walks down the stairs carrying a book, reading. Angel walks over to Cordy and nudges her. She hands him the files, and goes out into the garden (where Fred is now sitting). Fred shrieks, Cor startled her. Cor apologises, but Fred tells her it was her fault. She tells Cordy she’ll get out of her way, and heads indoors. ‘Wait’ Cordelia tells Fred she wants to talk to her. Fred comes back and sits beside her. Cor doesn’t know what to say. ‘Did you mean now?’ Fred asks, they both laugh.

‘Angel wants you to get out’ Cordelia tells her. Fred looks dismayed but then assures Cordelia that it wont take her long, she only has a few things to pack. Cordelia reassures her that she only meant out into the real World. Fred seems nervous, so Cor suggests they go out together. Fred would like that, she’d be safe with Cordelia, and no one would even notice her beside Cor. Cordelia agrees, no, wait, that’s not what she meant. She tells Fred that people will notice her because she’ll be standing on a stage with a white spotlight on her.

We zoom in on Gunn’s pick up truck, he is sitting in it, looking at the glass bolt. He pockets it, and drives off.

Gunn walks into Hyperion, Angel is leaning on the front desk. Gunn asks how the research is going, Angel can see a pattern emerging. Gunn asks if Angel is the only one there, he isn’t. Gunn tells Angel he has to discuss something with the boss, he asks where Wesley is.

At Caritas, Wesley and Cordelia are sitting at a table, watching Fred singing a nervous, almost tuneful version of Patsy Cline’s ‘Crazy.’ ‘I swear to God, she picked the song herself’’ Cordy tells Wesley. Gunn arrives in, he smiles, seeing Fred on stage , and almost walks into Lorne at the bar. Gunn leans on the bar, and tells Lorne that he knows what he’s (Lorne’s) doing, and to stop it. He doesn’t want Lorne to read him. Lorne said he would but Gunn’s like a billboard. He tells Gunn that Wesley came in asking questions. He can see that Gunn knows the answers. Gunn tells him he can’t go over there (to where Cordelia and Wesley sit).

Lorne asks Gunn if he wants to talk about it. There are gun shots as an automatic is fired, and kills some of the customers. The green blood splatters over Fred’s ace, knocking her off of her bar stool in shock. Gunn grabs Lorne and guides him behind the bar to safety. Cordelia is taken behind a table by Wesley (boy, I worded that all wrong). Geo and Rondell lead the gang as they shoot almost all of the demon customers, a vampire is killed by a crossbow. Wesley sees a terrified Fred stand up on stage, and pulls her over to where Cordy is shielded by the table. Rondell tells them to leave the work is done. Geo tells him to wait a minute, and calls for ‘Charlie Gunn.’ Rondell is horrified when Gunn emerges from behind the bar.

Geo urges Gunn to tell Rondell how he has been coming to this club for months, drinking and socialising with the demons. Rondell can’t believe it. Two of the gang pull Lorne out from behind the bar. Gunn expresses a wish for Lorne not to be hurt. Gunn pulls Lorne out, and Geo is about to shoot him, Gunn pulls Lorne behind him. He’ll have to be shot first. Gunn tells them that Lorne is fine, he’s good. Rondell tells Gunn to look at Lorne, he’s a monster. Gunn tells Rondell that he lost sight of the mission, this isn’t what it’s about. Rondell thinks Gunn lost sight of the mission, working with a vampire, protecting demons. Wesley stands up from behind the table, Cordy urges him to get back down. Wesley remarks that these are the people who killed Merl and the other demons, but soon realises that Gunn already knew.

Gunn tells him he had to work out how to deal, and he apologises to Lorne. Geo turns his weapon toward Wesley, questioning if he’s human. Cordelia stands up, and tells them to stop.Wesley tells them to make the gunshot kill, because last time he had a bullet wound it took months to heel. He reminds Rondell he got it when he was trying to help him.  Gunn explains that Rondell was the one who lost sight, they used to face death because they had to, now Rondell faces it because he wants to. Rondell tells them to bring back the vampire, then they’ll see who really lost sight of the mission. Cordy and Fred make to leave, but Rondell says only Cor can go. She refuses to leave without Fred, but one of the men come from behind and pull Fred away. Wesley holds her to him. Gunn tells Cor to take his truck, it’s parked outside, she leaves. ‘Oh my God, Oh my God’ a demon in the corner is repeating over and over again. He’s mouthless. ‘Shut up’ a red demon tells him, ‘He (God) can’t hear you.’

Cor and Angel are moving down the stairs, she tells Angel it’s a bad plan, because it’s their (Gunn’s old gang’s) plan. They want him to go to Caritas, where he can’t use violence, so they can kill him. Angel hands her a sheet of paper with an address and tells her to go there and ask for The Furies, they’re 3 sisters who place the sanctity spell on Caritas every month for Lorne. She has to tell them to take the spell off, Cor asks what to do if they wont. Angel tells her to tell them that it’s for him, he used to know them and they should remember him. Cor calls him again as he’s going out of the door. ‘What?’ ‘I told Fred she’d be safe with me…’

At Caritas, Geo is on stage singing ‘Wind Beneath My Wings.’ Fred is sitting on a chair, terrified. Wesley doesn’t want Angel to turn up because he feels that as soon as he does, they’ll kill him. Gunn disagrees, he knows they’re going to make him kill Angel. the mic gives feedback so Geo walks away and shoots the speakers, Fred jumps, and Wesley holds her. Geo’s starting to think that Angel wont show. ‘Miami’ Lorne suddenly speaks up, ‘Was 3000 miles really far enough?’ He’s talking to Geo, who looks nervous. Two guys go to shoot Lorne, but Geo stops them. He listens as Lorne goes on, he knows why Geo left, why he ran. ‘She trusted you, and you did that. Right until the end she trusted you.’ Geo is really nervous now. He punches Lorne. Lorne mouth is bloody, but he smiles. The ‘shut up’ demon from earlier on makes a run for the door and is beaten back. ‘Oh God, we’re all going to die’ murmurs mouthless demon. Gunn knocks Geo down and grabs his Gunn. Rondell points his gun at the escape attempt demon. Geo uses this against Gunn, saying he’s trying to protect a demon that eats babies. The demon doesn’t deny it. Geo insinuates that maybe Gunn is a monster, but then changes his mind.

He consistently bugs Gunn that maybe he wants to be a monster, but he isn’t even good enough for the vamps. He (Gunn) buys them drinks, protects them, but they still wont let him be a part of their club. He adds that maybe Gunn let his sister be turned into a vampire, in the hope that she would make him one, but when she refused to, Gunn killed her. The baby eating demon is trying to annoy the gang by murmuring about how he’ll eat their children etc. Gunn tells Geo to shut up. He is trying to psyche him out. Lorne knows what is going to happen, and tells Gunn ‘not in here.’ Gunn is truly traumatised, he shoots the baby eating demon, Lorne reminds them this place is a sanctuary, ‘Not any more, it ain’t’ Geo retorts. Angel walks in, ‘Nice shot. Am I going to be next?’ Angel asks Gunn. Rondell tells Gunn to prove to everyone that ‘this thing’ (Angel) is no friend to him. Gunn takes the stake Rondell hands him. Wesley keeps reminding them that Angel has a soul, he’s better than them, the only time he ever killed for fun was when he didn’t have a soul.

Cordelia is in ‘The Furies’ apartment. They give her a cup of tea. They are all different lookswise. Every time Cor mentions the name ‘Angel’ they all enthuse ‘mmmm Angel’ she tells them she wants them to take of the sanctity spell. They repeat what she has asked together alternately. She tells them it’s an emergency, if they don’t, Angel will die.

Angel stands as Gunn looks at him. Angel morphs into vamp-mode so Gunn can see the real him. He eventually drops the stake, he can’t do it. Not because he and Angel are friends, they’ll never be friends, but because Angel sticks to his mission. Geo remarks that only when someone kills the vampire will they get out alive. He tells the humans if they want to live they’ll have to kill him themselves. Fred finally stands up. She tells Angel she’s sorry, but she wants to live. Gunn looks pained, and Wesley is shocked. Geo holds out the crossbow for Fred.

Cordelia is still sitting in the apartment whilst the Furies are floating around. She asks what it will take for them to lift the spell. They tell her that this is not a debt she can pay. Cor wants them to know her credit has been very good this last year. They tell her that this is a debt only Angel can pay. She finally catches their drift…

Fred takes the crossbow from Geo. Angel tells her it’s okay, that he understands. Geo tells her there’s no point in shooting Angel, unless she does it in the heart. ‘ Although I thought I might just point it at your throat instead.’ Fred turns the crossbow and aims at Geo’s throat. The rest of the gang aim their guns on Fred. Angel looks at the guns aimed on Fred, and advises her that it’s okay, to aim it on him. She refuses to, but gets nervous. Geo uses the opportunity to shove her, and grab the crossbow from her. Just then there is a flash of light ‘Thank you ladies. I owe ya one.’ Angel enthuses. Fighting ensues. Wes, Gunn, Angel against the gang. Geo is mouthing off about how ‘LA sucks’ when Wesley sees ‘Oh God’ mouthless demons head split open. He turns into a giant demon and bites Geo’s head off. Rondell shoots it.

Wesley helps Fred into a taxi. Gunn is talking to his old gang members. Wesley walks toward him. Gunn tells him that he doesn’t think Rondell’s crew are gonna be near them anytime soon. Wesley muses how it’s never easy, the pull of divided loyalties, always feeling you’ve betrayed someone. He’s understanding, but then turns to Gunn and tells him that if he ever withholds information again, he’ll be fired. Wesley explains how he can’t have one member of the group compromising the safety of the others, he doesn’t care who it is, they’ll be dismissed. Angel steps out of an alleyway behind them. Wesley gets into the taxi beside Fred.

Gunn walks toward Angel. He tells Angel he hopes he’s not going to pull him up about all the things he said about him in the club (about how they’d never be friends etc). Gunn explains that he didn’t mean any of them, he just had to stall for time. Angel tells Gunn that he knows he did mean all of them, and he understands. Gunn says he can’t help the way he feels, he likes Angel, and he wants to work with him, and maybe someday they can be friends… Angel has time. Gunn remarks on how he thinks he proved that Angel can trust him, given that he had the opportunity to kill him and he didn’t. Angel comments that Gunn will prove Angel can trust him when the day comes that Gunn has to kill Angel… and he does. Angel walks away. Gunn walks in the opposite direction.