The previously on segment for this episode includes scenes of Fred being sent to and rescued from Pylea and the reading Lorne did of Cordy and its subsequent theft.

The episode begins with Fred squealing and all excited. She has had an article published in a physics journal called, "Supersymmetry and p-Dimentional Subspace" by Winifred Burkle, and is sharing this news with Gunn. He starts to read it, but she tells him that he doesn't have to, giving the impression that she doesn't think he could understand it. He can't; he can barely pronounce it. She begins to seduce him and the article is forgotton for now.

Angel brings a meal on a tray to Lorne who is in bed, still recovering. Lorne asks about the scream. Angel says it was Fred, but is clueless as to why. Lorne takes the time to begin ranting to angel about Connor, Cordelia, and the whole in his head. Angel says it's just the "slouching towards Bethlehem" thing. Lorne says no - not "No, that's not it," but no, he won't read Cordelia again, apparently perfectly able to read Angel and his motivations.

Angel argues that they need to know so that they could stop it. Lorne says that he would be a target again and maybe this time they would kill him. He won't do it. Angel says he is listening, but Lorne realizes that Angel is distracted. It's not just Lorne he's listening to. he hears a noise in the hotel which he stalks off to investigate.

Turns out that the noise is Connor in Cordy's room. Angel grabs him. He apologizes, but Connor brushes him off with a lot of attitude. Connor is taking some of Cordelia's stuff back to his place. Angel tells him to wait and to take Cordelia's slippers because her feet get cold. Connor replies that he knows - she always steals the covers. Angel swallows and watches him leave.

~credits~

At the hotel the next day, Angel comes down the stairs. We hear Gunn call out as he enters the lobby, "You don't want to go in there." Fred is in the office practicing her speech on Lorne. Gunn says that she kept him up all night and that she is unstoppable. Angel takes this as a sex reference and tells Gunn that it's more that he needs to know.

Fred comes out and asks if Gun told Angel yet. Angel backs up uncomfortably and sayd that Gunn didn't describe it (still got sex on the brain). She tells him that she was asked to pesent her paper at the Physics Institute. She asks to practice on Angel because Lorne is conked. He seems less than thrilled. Gunn says that she has been doing it all night.

Angel mentions to Gunn that he didn't know Fred was getting back into physics. She didn't tell them. It's obvious that she is proud, but still quite insecure. She tells that that she wanted everyone, that she looked up to, to see her too and then she went to Pylea and didn't want anyone to see her. Gunn tells her that everyone will be watching her now, which makes her more nervous. She wants reassurances that they will support her.

Lorne mentions that Connor had been there. Angel says that he was packing up some of Cordelia's stuff. Fred starts reassuring Angel that Cordelia just needs to work things out and good will come of everything, like she figured out her theory as a result of going to Pylea.

Lilah stops by Wesley's apartment with a gift. Wes questions her motives. Their relationship is still shaky since she used him to get to Lorne. The gift is some sort of expensive, metal helmet. She tells him that they have been butting heads lately, but now he'll have an advantage. She then tries to seduce him, but he says he has to leave, but thanks anyway. As he walks out the door, she finds Fred's article.

Cordelia is putting up pictures and making herself at home at Connor's place. She questions Connor bout why there aren't any pictures of Angel. He says that he couldn't find any and she accepts this and keeps unpacking.

She mentions that she feels like something is missing and she can't think of what it might be. Connor gives her an axe and says that maybe she misses killing demons. It was a part of her and he could help to train her again. She wants to know what to wear.

That night Fred, Gunn and Angel go to the Physics Institute where Fred is going to give her speech. She panics when she sees where she is listed on the program. She explains to a confused Angel and Gunn in terms of baseball. She's between two heavy-hitters. They try to reassure her.

She then sees an old professor who she obviously respects. He seems happy to see her. They begin to reminisce and gunn makes a lame joke that shows he is obviously out of his legue. Fred and the professor agree to meet the next day and she is very escited.

Angel went ahead to get seats for him and Gunn. He sees Wesley enter. When Gunn comes in he asks Angel to translate, but he admits that he doesn't understand it either.

Angel sees Lilah come in as Fred begins. She begins her speech and uses lots of big words and technical terms. Lilah watches Wesley who is listening intently, then leaves to make a call. Meanwhile, a portal begins to open over Fred's head an a bunch of snake-like things come out. People begin to panic and leave as it attacks Fred. Gunn rushes to her rescue.

~commercial~

Gunn and Angel try to rescue Fred, A guy in the audience starts taking pictures. Wes starts to go join in the rescue effort, pulling a knife, but Gunn gets her first and the portal closes.

Lilah is driving into a garage and the top of her convertable is ripped open. Angel is there. He balmes her for what happened to Fred, because he saw her leave just before the attack. As they talk, he realizes that she wasn't responsible.

Gunn wakes up in the middle of the night to an empty bed. Fred is writing on the walls and talking to herself again. She is scared and he tries to reassure her. Her confidence is really shaken and she is afraid of going back to Pylea, of facing her professor, of not being "normal."

Downstairs, Angel is recreating the scene of the attack. He realizes that Lilah was just stalking Wesley, but the guy behind them witht he camera seemed to know something would happen. He mentions that the guy's shirt said "Thwak" and Gunn says he knows how to find him.

They intimidate the dude who is some sort of comics nerd, and find out that other tudents have gone missing.

Fred is telling her professor about Pylea. He says that he is a theoretical physisict and that he belives in other dimensions, but she is naming them. She admits that it's hard to believe, but true.

They go into his office. He flatters her and tries to get her to come back to school. She is unsure and tells him that she has another life now. He says that she didn't choose that life and that she was obviously meant to be a physicist.

Comic book guy is saying that he didn't know dor sure if it was true or an urban legend, kind of like Angel. There were three before Fed and one after, all science types. The guy is fawning over Gunn and Angel. Gunn dismisses him, but Angel is hung up on the fact that people talk about himin "chatty rooms."

When the professor is called away, he asks Fred to give him her phone numbers. When she has written them down, she begins looking at his books. She discovers one out of place and opens it to find information about portals.

Angel and Gunn discover all of the missing students had Fred's professor, Professor Seidel in common. Fred has already realized that he was the one who sent her to Pylea. Gunn tells her that he'll pay. She says, "No, he's gonna die."

~commercial~

Gunn can't believe it, but Fred is all sadistic, like she was when she felt Connor had betrayed them. She goes to the weapons cabinet and opens it, looking for a weapon. She is determined to make him pay - painfully. Gunn and Angel try to talk her out of it, telling her that is goes against their beliefs and that she would have to live with the consequences of killing him. She gives the axe back and apologizes.

She leaves and Angel and Gunn discuss how to handle the situation, but Fred has already gone to Wesley for help. He makes an intelligent remark about her article and she realizes that he has been keeping track of her. Wes tells her that Gunn and Angel were right and she'll have to live witht hte consequences. She affirms her resolve and he accepts it.

They are researching ptions when her phone rings. When she answers it, a portal opens and tries to suck them in. As the run away and land on the floor behid the couch, the scene segues into Cordelia and Connor knocked to the ground while fighting a vampire. She seems very unsure, but it comes naturally and she stakes it. Cordelia is very excited and she ends up in Connor's arms. They kiss.

Gunn and Angel realize that Fred hasn't given up and go to stop her. Wes is driving Fred to the professor. He asks about Gunn and she tells him that Gunn doesn't have it in him and that's why she loves him. Wes offers her a way out, but she still can't accept it. He realizes that she must do this.

Angel get's to the office first and confronts the professor, who is packing. Angel threatens the professor, but he calls forth a demon and runs away. He runs straigh into Fred who has a crossbow and knocks him down. she says, "You know what they say about payback? Well, I'm the bitch."

~commercial~

Cordelia is picking up and putting clothes away. Connor comes up and puts his arms around her, offering to "train" some more. She tells him that they need to talk. She says that she shouldn't have kissed him because she doesn't know who she is or what's going on, because she has no memories. He takes it to mean that she has chosen Angel over him. She leaves.

Angel fights with the demon, while the professor begs for his life. He thinks that she can't hurt him. He doesn't understand what he did to her. She tells him that she'll let him go; she has even practiced her goodbye speech. She opens a portal.

Gunn barges in and begs her not to do it. He says that he'll lose her if she does this. When she won't back down, he realizes what he has to do.

He goes to save the professor. Fred cries out and he looks at her, then he looks down at the professor and breaks his neck. Then he tosses him into the open portal.

Fred can't believe that he did it and they both know that he did it for her. Angel comes in after finally defeating the demon, and asks what happened. Gunn tells him that it was taken care of. Aas they return to the hotel, we hear that hey told Angel that Professor Seidel was sucked into his own portal.

Fred and Gunn go up to bed and Angel looks at them funny, but is soon distracted by Cordelia. They go out into the yard to talk. She tells him that she has realized that she is still the same girl that she was and that she doesn't need protecting. She gets him to agree to not lie to her anymore, not even to protect her. Then, she asks him if they were in love.