About Steven   

Here you can find out a bit more about Steven. He was born in Millville, New Jersey. He's most known for writing, directing and producing episodes of Angel & Buffy the Vampire Slayer, though he was also a writer on the MTV series Undressed from seasons 1 through to 4. Here are the episode summaries for the episodes he was involved with on Angel & Buffy the Vampire Slayer. All summaries taken from Dusk 'til Dawn.

Angel Episodes

Deep Down
* First Aired - October 6th 2002
* Written by Steven DeKnight
* Directed by Terrence O'Hara

Everyone at Angel Investigations is sitting down having a nice big meal, Angel, Cordelia, Conner, Gunn, Fred, Lorne & Wesley. Angel toasts his "family" but toasts without anything in his glass. Cordy fills it up, but he knocks it over. Conner then turns to him and the table is empty. Angel realises that he's not there, but really where he has been for the past few months. Sitting at the bottom of the ocean in his "coffin". Back on dry land Fred and Gunn are trying to find a vampire called Marissa, a gang of vampires are about to let them go after telling them where she can be found but they change their mind and Fred and Gunn are fighting for their lives. As soon as things look grim Conner comes in and saves them both. They go back to the hotel where Gunn and Fred both warn Conner that he shouldn't go off like that when they're working. Gunn gives Conner his axe to clean after Conner used it so swiftly. While he's doing that Gunn & Fred discuss something about finding Angel, Conner over hears and asks what's going on. Under the sea Angel's hallucinating again, he's by the bluffs and talking to Cordy. He tells her he needs her and then bites into her and starts to feed off her. Angel "wakes up" to his under water tomb again.

Wesley and Lilah are in bed together, looking rather out of breath. Lilah gets up to leave to get back to work and hints at asking Wesley where Angel is. Wesley denies any knowledge of knowing where Angel is. After Lilah leaves Wesley gets up and opens a cupboard, in which Justine is sitting bound and gagged and Wesley tells her that they're going for a boat ride. Wesley and Justine are now on a boat, and using an electronic device Wesley's scanning the ocean floor. Justine attempts to hit Wesley over the head with a wrench, but with one stern warning from him she soon puts it down again. Meanwhile at the condemned building which Gunn, Fred and Conner have gone to see Conner bursts in looking for the vampire called Marissa. She drops down from the ceiling and Conner and her fight. They ask her is she saw anything, she denies everything and flees. Conner goes after her. They're both on the roof of a building alone. Marissa says that she saw nothing, and Conner kills her. As Fred and Gunn come up to the roof Conner fakes a wound and tells them that she attacked him and he killed her. Gunn gets annoyed and starts yelling and Conner flees from the scene.

Conner's crouching on a roof top. Angel comes behind them, they start to talk then some other vamps arrive and both Conner and Angel kill them all. Angel then approaches Conner and breaks his neck. At which moment Angel wakes up again in his tomb. In Las Vegas Lorne gets a call from Fred and Gunn who ask for his help, but he quickly dismisses them and says he can't help. Fred's confused with his answer and wishes they could find someone who could help them find Angel & Cordy. At Wolfram & Hart Lilah, Gavin & Linwood are discussing the current situation. Gavin has somehow found out about Lilah's relationship with Wesley. Back to the ocean and Wesley's found something on the floor. He hands Justine a scuba mask and tells her to go down there. It's Angel's tomb and they haul it up. As Wesley opens the tomb a weakened Angel reaches out to grab his neck. But Wesley easily releases the grip. Wesley gives Angel animal blood, but it doesn't seem to be enough and so cuts himself and gives him some of his own blood. Back at Wolfram & Hart the staff meeting begins, Lilah defends herself and her actions when Linwood brings them up, she went to the senior partners and over ruled Linwood and she executed him, literally with Lilah now the new boss.

Gunn and Fred receive a phone call, thinking it could be a paying customer. After which Fred goes up to see Conner and to give him some food. She also lets him know that he will soon feel as much pain as his father and then stuns him with a tazer. Conner wakes up dazed and tied up. Fred's fuming about what he did to his father and blasts him with the tazer a few more times. Soon Wesley arrives with Angel, still very weak. And as soon as Wesley arrives he leaves as well. Between this time Conner seemed to have broken free from his ropes. He knocks both Fred and Gunn out leaving Angel standing in the way. Angel forces Conner to sit down and talks to him. Conner tries to use force and leave but Angel bats him down again. Angel tells him he loves him and then tells him to leave his home, which Conner does. Angel nearly collapses on the floor, Fred and Gunn quickly stop him. Angel says that the only thing he needs is Cordy, they have to find her. Saying that we see Cordy, and she's on the higher plain and then says, "I am so bored!".

Rain of Fire
* First aired - November 17th 2002
* Written by Steven DeKnight

At the hotel Lorne's anxious to find out from Cordy what she saw while she was on her higher plain, but Angel would rather her have a breather and relax and try and take in what she just had to. Meanwhile a rather tired looking Cordy is watching an old horror movie at Conner's. Conner gives her food and she eats some chocolate something or other. She tells Conner that she can't sleep, every time she closes her eyes she sees the thing, big and evil thing. She says it's almost here, at that point she looks at Conner who's now turned into the beast that she saw in her mini-vision. Cordy wakes up, as Conner rushes to her side, it was a dream. Back at the hotel Lorne's manning the phone while Angel cleans up his weaponry. Gunn and Fred are at a clients house where there could be a possible haunting going on. As they go into the "haunted" room it turns out to be a huge bathroom. Gunn says one day they are going to have a bathroom like this, Fred tries to dodge the remark. Suddenly as Gunn approaches the sink where the noises are coming from rats appear out of no where, everywhere. From the plug holes, cabinet, everywhere. Fred and Gunn get out of the room and tell the owner to leave or burn the place down. Wesley arrives back at his apartment to find Lilah dressed as Fred and imitating her as well. Lilah tells Wesley that she knew he went to see her at the physics talk. Lilah kisses Wesley, at first he pulls back then they both are at it again. Lilah begins to pull the glasses off, but Wesley would rather she keep them on. Returning from their job, Gunn and Fred stop in the courtyard. The conversation turns to their relationship after what happened to Professor Seidel. Fred says she can't do this now and runs off. Inside the phones are ringing constantly, Gunn lends a hand but he's not in the best of moods. Lorne still wants Angel to ask Cordy about her time as a higher being. Just then Conner arrives, he asks his dad to talk to Cordy, with some persuasion he agrees.

Angel's at Conner's place. Angel and Cordy sit holding hands. Conner walks away. Cordy says she loves Angel and always will, but also tells him she knows what Angel did while he was Angelus all those years ago. All the pain and suffering he caused, she felt it all as she had the ability to go back to see the past. Just then Cordy's eye's go white and she begins to shake and says he's coming. Cordy lays in bed and tells Angel she's alright and tells him that whatever this demon is it's coming now, crawling up through the bowels of the Earth to cause mayhem and slaughter. Back at the hotel Gunn and Lorne are still trying to manage the ever ringing phone calls. Suddenly they hear a thud on the door. Gunn opens it and it's a sparrow, which just ploughed into the door. Lorne tells Gunn to close the door, within a split second hundreds of sparrows are pounding on the hotel everywhere, killing themselves in the process. Meanwhile Angel's taken a trip to Wolfram & Hart where he's managed to get a lot of information out of a bound and gagged Gavin. He tells Lilah that something is coming and offers her a proposition that will help them both. At Conner's, Cordy's finding it hard to believe what's going on, and she can't do anything to stop it. She wants to go out and see if she can do anything, so the two of them go. While they're out Cordy recognises where they are. It's the spot where Darla killed herself to give birth/life to Conner. Suddenly in the same spot the demon in Cordy's vision comes out of the ground. Conner tries to fight it off but he gets thrown across the street. It grabs Cordy but Conner gets up again and fights him until he lets her loose. Conner again gets chucked about, worse this time. The demon approaches Cordy, then suddenly jumps away.

At the hotel Gunn is about to leave with Lorne to find Fred, as they get to the door Wesley appears. He tells them about the increase in apocalyptic activity. Gunn still wants to go out and find Fred, but Angel arrives with material form Wolfram & Hart which will help them find out what's going on. It's the material that Lorne read from Cordy, all encrypted. They all sit there trying to figure it out. As Gunn gets up he notices a pattern. He lays down the sheets of paper like a giant puzzle on the floor. The image that it makes is the eye of fire, an ancient symbol for fire. Lorne's also noticed the same pattern as he marks on a map where all the phone calls have been coming from. The focal point seems to be a club. They all suit up and head out. When they get there they're not in time to save anyone as The Beast tosses aside its latest victim. angel charges while Wesley, Lorne and Gunn stay prepped. Angel gives it his all but he's tossed aside. Lorne and Wesley shoot from their crossbows, but The Beast just catches the arrows and stabs Angel with them, and tosses him onto Wesley and Lorne. Gunn gives it his all, but he gets tossed as well. Wesley reveals two guns and begins to shoot at The Beast, they don't seem to have any effect. He tries the shotgun and that's just as useless. Angel gets up again and almost gets to The Beast, but he stabs Angel with his own stake in the neck and chucks him over the side of the building. All hell's breaking loose. Wesley grabs Gunn to get him out of there. Angel's lying helpless on the floor bleeding from everywhere. Meanwhile Cordy and Conner are watching from their window as they see the sky, start to rain fire. Cordy tells Conner that this could be it and she wants to give him something real. She kisses him, they go to bed together. From a rooftop not far, Angel sees.

Awakening
* First aired - January 29th 2003
* Written by David Fury & Steven DeKnight
* Directed by James A. Contner

Everyone arrives back at the hotel after the recent revelation, minus Gwen, who has fled somewhere, and Wesley who's off on some mission too. Angel's singing to Lorne, seeing if Lorne can read anything off him. The rest are in the lobby. Conner doesn't see the difference between Angelus and Angel, Cordy gives him a stern warning that she does, and that there is a huge difference. Somewhere in LA Wesley meets with a shaman of some kind asking for his help, after getting rid of what appears to have been his guard at the door. Back at the hotel Angel breaks the news to everyone else that Lorne didn't get anything off him and they're still no closer to defeating The Beast. Wesley soon walks in with the shaman. He says that the shaman, Wo-Pang, can bring forth Angelus. Angel has a private but firm conversation with Wesley about his plan. Wo-Pang will remove Angel's soul, and then Wesley can interrogate Angelus, and then Wo-Pang can re-insert Angel's soul. Angel doesn't like the idea and tells Wesley to get rid of Wo-Pang. Angel sits in the garden, Cordy appears and sits with him. She tries to reassure him and tells him he's doing the right thing about not having his soul removed. Suddenly Angel changes his mind, goes back into the hotel and orders them to get a cage. Gunn thinks it's for The Beast, but Wesley tells him it's for himself. They set the cage up in the basement and are putting the final touches to it. Everyone heads upstairs, Angel expresses his love for Conner and warns him of Angelus. He asks that Conner look after everyone while he's gone and that if anything goes wrong, he should kill Angelus, emphasizing the if. Angel gets strapped onto the table and the cage is locked with only him and Wo-Pang in the cage. Angel closes his eye, then Wo-Pang draws a knife, ready to cut Angel's head off.

Angel manages to free one hand from the holdings which holds the knife at bay while Gunn unlocks the cage. Angel gets free and goes out of the cage and approaches Wo-Pang. Wo-Pang then unexpectedly kills himself with the knife. When they go and check his body to see if anything's on him, it reveals writing, all over his body. Wesley examines the body, the writing appears to be all about The Beast. There were two sects, one against The Beast and one rooting him on. The one against The Beast forged a weapon and hid it somewhere, a weapon that will kill The Beast. Cordy's eyes then go pale white and she gets a vision of sorts, and she tells the rest of the gang she knows where the weapon is, and it's a sword. Wesley apologises to Angel about rushing into bringing Angelus back instead of researching more. Wesley, Conner, Angel & Cordy all head out to get this weapon, somewhere underneath LA. They walk through sewer tunnels until Cordy sees a smaller route way down. Conner leads the way and charges forward, closely followed by Angel. When they get down they find a corridor littered with bells on ropes. They have to cross the passageway without hitting a single bell otherwise wooden stakes will kill them. Things go well, until Cordy gets stuck and Wesley manages to free her only to hit a bell. Angel grabs him and runs out before either of them are hit. They hit a dead end, but with Wesley's help a puzzle is solved and another doorway opened. There they split, with Wesley and Conner going one way and Angel & Cordy another. Angel & Cordy find the sword which is in a dimensional hub. But as soon as Angel extracts it the place begins to collapse. Fire engulfs the room and the two only just make it out. When they get out Cordy breaks down, and tells Angel she's sorry for all she's done. They then kiss, but Conner sees it all.

Conner rushes off and Angel goes after him. He has an argument and fight with Angel in a booby-trapped room. Conner's jealous of Angel. Cordy soon arrives and puts Conner straight, but he flees. Wesley, Cordy & Angel soon make it back to the hotel with the sword. Fred however tells Angel the bad news. That The Beast has to be killed with the sword through the brain. And because he swallowed a device which is blocking out the sun, when The Beast is killed the force at which the magic will be expelled could easily kill a human. Angel still wants to go for it, but now they have to find The Beast. The doors of the hotel shatter, it's The Beast. Wesley and Gunn get everyone out, though Cordy's reluctant to go, but she's forced to go. Angel and The Beast fight, things don't go so well for Angel. The sword is effective, but with one quick blow the sword is shattered. But not everything's lost. Conner arrives and manages to hold off The Beast long enough for Angel to grab a broken shard of the sword and ram it up into The Beast's brain, killing him and restoring sunlight to LA. Conner tends to his father and apologises about his recent outburst, and he wishes happiness for both him and Cordy. Everyone arrives back, alive and they clean up the remains of The Beast, his ashes. Later on Angel looks out into a sun lit LA from his room. Cordy arrives and they talk, they turn together and kiss. Things get heated and they go to the bed. Angel & Cordy make love, suddenly Angel screams, "oh god." He falls to the floor yelping in pain, and speaks Buffy's name. We return to the cage in the hotel's basement. Angel's still strapped to the table, Wo-Pang tells them that it is done, Angelus is back. Angelus laughs as he looks out of the cage at the vial with his soul in it.

Calvary
* First aired - February 12th 2003
* Written by Jeffery Bell, Mere Smith & Steven DeKnight
* Directed by Bill Norton

Cordy, Conner & Wesley all pay the Shaman, Wo-Pang another visit, suspecting him of taking Angel's soul. But it's not him and he can't help in restoring Angel's soul. Back in the hotel lobby Gunn's getting armed with a flame thrower while Fred continues to research. The conversation between them turns to Wesley. It appears that Angelus can hear the conversation and taunts the both of them, before Gunn switches the monitor off. Downstairs though Angelus gets his own visitor, Lilah, with a large & hefty crowbar. Lilah wants Angelus to kill The Beast, after al the damage it's done, Angelus reckons they may be able to work something out. Back in the lobby Gunn confronts Fred about knowing that Wesley and her kissed. Fred tries to deny it but she can't. Gunn says he will and does do everything for her. But it's never enough and she's looking everywhere but at him. At that moment Wesley, Cordy & Conner arrive, and Fred looks to the door. On saying that Gunn says, "Like that." And walks away. They tell each other the news on what's not been happening. After they fill each other in, Gunn suddenly grabs the dart gun and heads down to the basement, Wesley and the others turn to the monitor and see Lilah down there and everyone rushes down. When they get down Gunn shoots a couple of tranquilizers into Angelus as Lilah flees back into the sewers and Wesley goes after her while the rest of them guard Angelus. Wesley finally catches up to Lilah, she's been living in the sewers since the day that Wolfram & Hart was completely annihilated by The Beast. Lilah appears to have been doing some research of her own, but with the same book as Wesley's been using but it seems to actually have information on The Beast. Lilah's copy is from a different dimension. Back at the hotel, as Angelus lies on the floor he mutters that The Beast has a boss.

Angelus explains that The Beast has someone pulling its strings, something a lot more powerful. Wesley & Lilah eventually return to the hotel, together, with the book Lilah had been using. Wesley updates them on what's been found out. Everything in this dimension about The Beast has been wiped clear, and so also why Angel couldn't remember anything, but Angelus could, seeing as his mind wasn't around when everything was being wiped. Fred & Wesley go to read the book while Gunn grabs the flame thrower and heads downstairs to guard Angelus. Down in the basement Angelus continues to taunt Gunn relentlessly about himself, Fred & Wesley. Things get to a point where Gunn unleashes the flame throwers on Angelus, only just missing him. Upstairs Wesley and Fred aren't doing any better find a way of releasing Angel's soul back to him. Wesley tells Fred he's sorry about what happened between him and Gunn and if it caused any friction. That's when Fred tells Wesley that her and Gunn are over, Wesley struggles to control his elation at this prospect. At that moment Cordy and Lilah arrive at the office. Lilah still doesn't see any hope in the matter and tries to walk away. Her and Cordy have a confrontation which ends with Cordy having a vision revealing how to give Angel his soul back. Fred goes and tells Wesley the news, who's guarding Angelus in the basement. Meanwhile Gunn & Conner are in some woods somewhere digging up something, a Soul eater. They both think it's dead but it comes to life and fights them both with extraordinary speed. Gunn eventually lobs its head off and pummels it to death, they retrieve the head and head back to the hotel.

The gang are all preparing for the ritual to bring back Angel's soul. Wesley's surprised that Lilah's still around, but it seems she has no where else to go. They're all then ready, ready to give Angel his soul back. The ritual seems to be going well, Angel wakes up from the floor of his cell, and he's back. He sings a line and Lorne reads him and he's really back. Angel continues to give orders to everyone while still in the cage as he reckons it's safest that way, in case the spell was just temporary. Cordy reckons that Angel is just trying to hide from everyone and talks him into coming out. But it's not Angel, it's Angelus, who knocks Cordy out and locks her into the cage while he proceeds upstairs. First he bumps into Fred, who finds some of Angel's characteristics a little different. Angelus then says when everyone's there, that he has a mission to save the world and heads out. The monitor turns to Cordy, in Angelus' cage. Angelus wanders the darkened streets of LA, not seeing much fun around. Wesley, Gunn, Conner & Fred all strap up and head out to find and kill Angelus. While they're out Lilah & Cordy stay at the hotel. They track Angelus but they hit an end to the scent, he's appeared to have double backed. Angelus is back at the hotel and he's after Lilah and Cordy. Lilah shoots her gun at him but with no effect, the two girl split. Lilah gets an encounter with Angelus but manages to shake him. As she runs she finds Cordy who grabs Lilah by the throat. Then suddenly stabs her in the throat with a dagger, leaving Lilah for dead, saying that there was a reason why she left the cage door unlocked.

Release
* First aired - March 12th 2003
* Written by Steven DeKnight, Sarah Fain & Elizabeth Craft
* Directed by James A. Contner

Wesley brings a bruised & battered Faith home, she hops in the shower where she begins to punch through the wall of the room, but calms herself and relaxes a bit more. Elsewhere Angelus is in a demon bar bragging to his friends about his kill, The Beast. He suddenly hears a large, booming voice. It appears that The Master of The Beast has got in contact with Angelus and is speaking to him telepathically. Cordy is sitting on bed holding something while talking to Angelus in the demon bar. The Master tries to recruit Angelus, but he doesn't appear to want to work for someone who refuses to show their face, and defies The Master. But Cordy is interrupted by Conner entering the room, leaving Angelus talking to himself for a few moments. Angelus is annoyed that the voice is silent now and leaves. Conner tells Cordy that Faith was hurt pretty bad but should heal okay, because she's a Slayer. Cordy tells Conner that she doesn't want the rest of the gang to know about her being pregnant because they wouldn't understand it at all. Downstairs Gunn hands out tranquilizer funs to Lorne & Fred, just to be safe. Conner arrives and acts a little suspicious telling the others he's getting Cordy some soup. Gunn, Fred & Lorne suspect that they might be sleeping together again but prefer Conner being home bound rather than out on the street trying to kill Angel. At Wesley's Faith's all finished and is ready to ship out to get Angelus. Wesley's a bit wary of her current condition, but Faith convinces him she's up for it. Back at the hotel Fred's on her own searching for a book. When she finds it Angelus finds her as well. He convinces her that he has a talisman that makes him protected from the sanctuary spell. When Fred spots it's a fake she tries to make her move but before long Angelus is gone with the materials they were using. But before he goes Conner tries to have a stab at him, but the sanctuary spell kicks in, it appears Conner is a demon.

Angelus leaps down back to the lobby and heads out of the front door just as Wesley and Faith are arriving back. Wesley is grabbed by the throat, Faith's told to make her move but she holds back. Gunn soon arrives but Angelus manages to get away unscathed. Conner rushes up to Cordy after the attack, to see if she's okay. She appears to be completely and utterly annoyed at the fact Angelus was there, but doesn't show it to Conner. Downstairs Lorne is recovering from the tranquilizer he got hit with while Gunn tries to convince Fred it wasn't her fault. Wesley & Faith get up and get ready to go after Angelus. Wesley's packing heat, but only to slow the vampire down. Angelus is somewhere in an occult shop looking through the notes he got from the hotel. But it doesn't appear he's having much luck when the voice begins again. It taunts him, and tells him that it has his soul, and uses that fact to use Angelus for its purposes, because only then does Angelus call it Master. Back at the hotel Cordy is holding Angelus' soul looking rather pleased with herself. Downstairs Fred's still feeling bad over what happened earlier. Gunn comforts her and it appears Fred wants to take back what went on before, between her and Gunn. They kiss, but Gunn doesn't think it would work and Fred looks on sadly as he walks away. Wesley & Faith are at the demon bar getting some information on Angelus. They get directed to a back room where they're jumped by a vampire but they take care of it easily enough. Conner is in the bathroom looking at himself in the mirror contorting his face to make it look like a vampire's. Cordy sees what he's doing and tells him not to worry and sends him back downstairs so that she knows everything that's going on.

Back at the demon bar Wesley and Faith see a girl who seems pretty out of it. Faith tries to beat some sense into her but it doesn't work, she doesn't know anything. Wesley suddenly stabs her and gets more information out. When they get out of the bar Faith confronts Wesley on what he just did. Wesley taunts Faith, taking her back to when she tortured him and goads her into a rather angry place. Then tells her she needs to be able to go all the way with Angelus, but she refuses to kill the only guy who ever wanted to help her. Faith & Wesley enter a huge building looking for someone called Maury but Angelus is there as well, he was tipped off by someone. Wesley fires the shot fun but Angelus manages to dodge those and the tranquilizer darts that Faith shoots out at him. Wesley gets chucked over a balcony and lands unconscious a bit further down. Faith and Angelus battle it out, though Angelus seems to have the upper hand, especially when he gets his hands on the shot gun. Though he doesn't want to fight Faith that way, disposes of the gun and the two battle it out. Faith gets pretty badly beaten, the fight looks like it's going her way. But all of a sudden Angelus grabs her from behind and tell her she's not like him now, but will be, and bites her intent on siring her....

Inside Out
* First aired - April 2nd 2003
* Written by Jeffery Bell, Elizabeth Craft & Sarah Fain

Angel confronts Cordy, or the thing that looks like Cordy. Angel grabs her throat, demands to know where Cordy is. Just then Conner comes crashing through the glass ceiling, makes short work of everyone, grabs Cordy and runs. Angel gets hit with a tranquilizer dart and just as he's passing out sees Cordy jet off. Gunn returns to the hotel complaining that his phone wasn't working and then he sees everyone pretty battered and bruised. Fred replies, it was Cordy, or whatever looked like her. Gunn thinks that Cordy's working for The Beast's Master, but in fact she is The Beast's Master. They all run through the scenario's that have been happening to them. How she killed Manny, Lilah, stole Angel's soul and clogged up Lorne. Meanwhile Cordy & Conner have found sanctuary in an old meat packing plant. Cordy's still edgy on whether Angel could find them there. Conner doesn't understand why Angel or the rest of them, would want to hurt Cordy. Cordy spins a few more lies, saying that they're afraid of her baby. Conner assures her that he'll kill them before they even try to kill her. Angel arrives back from his hunt for Cordy and Conner, he found their scent everywhere but couldn't find them. Wesley still can't find anything else on The Master. Wesley then asks Angel about The Powers, if they could fill them in on anything. Angel replies that they haven't got involved so far because they don't want their hands to get dirty. But Angel realises that there is in fact one person who is in the middle of everything. Fred has gone through Cordy's room for any clues but there weren't any whatsoever. Angel's rooting around in a draw in the office. He picks something up and tells them that he'll be back in a couple of hours.

Angel knocks out a demon guard, grabs his sword and goes down a flight of steps. Angel approaches a demon sitting in a chair. It's Skip. Skip jumps up, he appeared to have been eating some buffalo wings. Angel asks him about Cordy. Skip doesn't seem to know that she's back from her trip as a higher being. Angel tells Skip that she's back, and either he's been duped by The Beast's Master or he's in on it. Skip turns look at him, a huge spike comes out of his wrist and he tells Angel he's not a dupe. Angel and Skip fight each other. Skip seems to be taking the upper hand, and he reminds Angel that it won't be as easy as before, he won't be taking a fall this time. Angel seems pretty battered. He gets hold of a chain and wraps it around his hand and knocks the life out of Skip, and knocks one of his horns off. Fred is walking across the lobby when suddenly a huge beam of light and wind comes out of nowhere. It's Angel, he's back and with Skip. Angel suggests that that they bind him to this dimension before he wakes up. Elsewhere in LA a young girl (virgin) is nearly killed by a vampire, but Conner kills him in time. He seems to be wanting to help her, but then punches her. Conner takes the young virgin to Cordy and she says she's perfect. Her blood for their baby. The gang has managed to bind Skip. He doesn't seem to threatened, until Fred brings up a pretty horrifying spell that she could whip up especially for him. Skip tells them that that's still Cordy somewhere deep inside she's there but she's not driving. And sarcastically mentions that Cordy ascended because she was so pure, and radiant. Cordy is meanwhile, chanting and getting ready for the birth. Conner's watching over the tied up girl. He hears a voice, it's his mother, Darla.

Darla says that The Powers have sent her with a message. Conner can't believe it's his mother there. Darla pleads with Conner to make him do the right thing. At the hotel Skip's telling the gang about Cordy. Cordy proved herself to be powerful to the Powers. And that everything that has happened to them has happened for a reason. A birth of this size could only have happened with all of the events intersecting. Conner was born so that he could aid in the pregnancy, and Cordy was imbued with such power so that she could be the vessel of such a powerful entity. Angel wants to know how to stop what's going on. And the only way is to kill Cordy. First he has to find her, Skip tells them that the Bu'Shundi Ritual, will do it but he'll need a Hutamin Paw. Lorne yelps out, that they have one, Skip can't quite believe it, when it is in fact a genuine Hutamin Paw. Fred and Gunn are sitting on the stairs, Fred can't quite believe that they're just pieces in a board game. Gunn reassures her with some knowledge that shocks her. Lorne & Wesley have completed the ritual. Angel gets up, he's actually going to kill Cordy and tells the rest of them to stay behind. He takes a sword and heads out. Conner's just about to come round to Darla's thinking and is about to untie the young girl when Cordy arrives. She senses Darla's presence and persuades Conner otherwise. Conner drags the girl away and kills her. Only it's Darla's face on the young girl. Cordy calls to Conner to get the ritual done. Conner gets some blood from the girl on his hand and plants it on Cordy's stomach. It gets absorbed and the building starts to shake. The hotel shakes as well, it's begun. The area to where Skip was bound gets broken and he begins to show his power. Angel arrives to where Cordy and Conner are. Conner and Angel begin to fight it out. Skip asks Fred what she was talking about earlier, with the pain and suffering and he holds her by the throat. Gunn makes an attempt to get through his hard skin. But he bats him away. Wesley makes a go at it with his gun, but even that doesn't get through. But then he sees where Skip's horn used to be and fires a bullet through there, which does the damage and kills Skip.

Conner and Angel are still fighting. Suddenly a huge light comes out of Cordy, it's born. As the Master arises it takes human form. Angel and Conner are powerless, all they can do it fall to their knees.

Hellbound
* First Aired - October 22nd 2003
* Written & Directed by Steven S. DeKnight

At the end of the day Fred walks into her lab and is shocked when Spike scares her, or so it seems. She was just putting on her scared hat to try and make Spike a bit happier about being non-corporeal. Spike asks if there's been any progress with him and making him real again. Fred seems to have her hopes up and does seem to have a plan. As Spike leans against the table he falls straight through it and into the basement of Wolfram & Hart. Spike hears a sound, the sound of chopping. He walks along to investigate. There's a man in a chair chopping his own fingers off, as the man turns to reveals his scar worn face he disappears, leaving Spike more than shocked. Meanwhile Lorne's busy with his entertainment section. Fred walks past and goes to Wesley's office and hands him a list of what she needs to help Spike. Wesley's more than happy to use his recent contact to help her, but he's worried about her, not sleeping or eating much. As Fred leaves she bumps into Eve who needs to have a word with her. Angel and Eve are in Angel's office. Angel's talking to Fred about her and the move from small time to the now big time. Fred misunderstands and thinks that Angel's worrying about her like Wesley was. But Eve tells her that he's talking about her spending in the science department. She's gone a long way over her quarterly budget, and the quarters not over. Fred says she's just trying to do everything she can to make Spike real again, which shocks Angel, because he just wanted Spike out of Wolfram & Hart. Fred still believes that Spike is worth saving and she needs to help him, Angel leaves the call up to her.

Spike's back in the now empty lab. Light's flicker and he follows them. It now seems that there's something else there and he follows the flickering lights. As he walks down the hall there's a young woman in nineteenth century clothing, without any arms. She flies at Spike, Spike ducks but then she's gone again. Angel retires to his apartment with a glass of blood, where Spike now is. Angel just wants Spike to leave but he's not going anywhere. The topic of the Shanshu prophecy comes up, and Angel tells Spike that it's not true. No prophecies are true and both of them are going to go to hell for all the things that they have done. They sit on the sofa and take stabs at one another. The conversation ends with Angel admitting that he liked Spike's poems, and Spike takes a jibe at Angel for liking Barry Manilow. Then Spike seems a man hanging from the ceiling, but Angel can't seem him. They go to the lobby where they meet Fred and Wesley. None of them can see the dead people that Spike can see. Gunn and Eve soon arrive saying that the mystics can only sense Spike as the ghost in the whole building. Spike suddenly disappears to the gang. However Spike's still there, he hasn't completely disappeared as he used to. Fred suggests they find him. Spike's lead upstairs. When he gets to the lift it opens and he gingerly steps inside.

The lift has taken Spike back to the basement. Wesley, Gunn & Fred talk about Spike in Wesley's office. To Wesley and Gunn is was fairly obvious that he would be going to hell every time he disappeared. Back to Spike in the basement, he sees another young woman with a shard of glass in her eye. She takes the shard out and tells Spike that the Reaper's going to get him. Then she vanishes again. Fred's working in the lab with Spike watching her. She seems to get something, but it doesn't work. Spike leans over to touch Fred and there's a spark that both could feel. As Fred looks around for Spike, Angel appears from behind and scares her. The gang are all set up in a conference room, Eve brings in a psychic who will help them locate Spike. She begins, she mentions a dark soul. But she stops there, something tries to kill her. Spike's watching over, Angel thinks it's Spike but it isn't. Things don't look good, and then she's killed, her blood spurts out and onto Fred. Wesley & Gunn come to the conclusion that there was something else in the room.

Fred takes a shower, Spike watches her. As he approaches the glass he finds that he can touch it if he wants. He writes something on the glass. Upstairs Angel, Gunn & Wesley are researching the dark soul. As Fred finishes her shower she sees the message that Spike wrote to her, it said reaper. As She reads the the glass shatters, but doesn't break, and Spike gets flung back into the basement. Fred quickly runs upstairs to tell the gang about reaper, and they instantly find who they were looking for. Matthias Pavayne, his blood was used to deconsecrate the ground so that Wolfram & Hart could be built on it. In the basement Spike is confronted by Pavayne. He's completely stripped of everything and is ready to go to hell. But something Pavayne says triggers a thought in Spike's head. If he desires something enough he can make it happen. He wills his clothes back and then he wills himself to be able to fight Pavayne, which he does. Back in the offices Fred's figured out a way to make Spike corporeal. Angel & Gunn go and get some magic juice from the conduit in the white room. After they have it they piece the machine together. All ghostly things will be attracted to it when it's turned on. Fred turns it on and both Pavayne and Spike are attracted to it, they both head over. Just as Spike's about to step in to make himself real again, Pavayne grabs a hold of Fred and makes Spike choose. Spike chooses Fred and Pavayne is made corporeal. After which Angel pounds on him and puts him away in permanent storage. The next morning Spike tells Fred that he's okay and shows her his new trick, that he can hold things. 

Destiny
* First Aired - November 19th 2003
* Written by David Fury & Steven S. DeKnight
* Directed by Skip Schoolnik

It's 1880, Drusilla and William arrive at the Royal London Hotel in England. Here Drusilla introduces William to Angelus for the first time. Back to present time at Wolfram & Hart Spike's complaining to Angel about wanting his own office. Which Angel persistently tells him he's never going to get. Angel goes to his office while Spike receives his first piece of mail. Both Harmony and Spike are as surprised as one another for Spike to be receiving any mail. Harmony opens the package for him and a bright light shoots out from it. Then the box is empty. Spike walks away not thinking much of it. He tries to walk into Angel's office by walking through the door, as he could, but this time he slams right into it. Angel comes out of his office to see Spike laying on the floor with a bloody nose. Spike's over the moon that he's corporeal again. However all the phones in the offices have gone berserk. Spike reckons him being corporeal again has got to be something to do with the package he got. With him being corporeal again he has one thing in mind, sex. He grabs Harmony and the both of them go office to find an empty office. Back to 1880, London, William & Angelus are riding in a carriage. Angelus offers William some more spoils, but William would rather go and find Drusilla. Angelus stops the carriage and William goes to find her. Back to present day W&H, Spike and Harmony find an office and kick a guy out to use it. The rather disgruntled employee goes over to Jerry by the photocopier. But Jerry's not quite himself, crying blood and screaming about their not being toner in the copier, he begins to pummel the guy with a fire extinguisher.

Fred, Angel & Gunn go into Angel's office to try and figure things out. Fred thinks that it may be something a lot worse. Angel makes the connection between Spike being corporeal and all the phones and computers going mad. Eve enters the office and tells Angel & co that the universe is in catastrophic turmoil. Eve explains that what's going on has to do with the Shanshu prophecy, which says something about a vampire with a soul. But now since there are two corporeal vampires with a soul the universe can't balance itself, so everything's going mad. Spike's existence has thrown things off into a tangent. Eve also mentions that the prophecy isn't specific on which vampire it's about, it could be about either. Meanwhile Spike & Harmony are having a good shag in the office, but all of a sudden Harmony bites into Spike. Her eyes look like she's been crying blood and is about to attack Spike when he clobbers her one. At the copier it appears there's been another victim of the mad Jerry, and it's Lorne. Angel tries to get more people on figuring out what's going on. As Eve and Angel walk down the hall they bump into Spike who's fleeing the slightly mad Harmony. Eve says that LA's not big enough for both of them, and so Spike decides to head off to Europe. But what Eve really means is that it's a universal problem. Gunn appears from a lift, he's been to see the big cat in the white room. Only neither were there, just a howling abyss. Angel pleads with Spike to stay, and he does.

With Wesley not being around the gang go and see Rutherford Sirk about the Shanshu prophecy. He reads from the original script which tells of a Cup of Perpetual Torment, which the vampire with a soul has to drink from. It also gives it's location. Before Sirk can finish giving the location Spike's already gone. Angel's hot on his heals. Back at W&H Gunn's in charge of everything and is trying to control the situation. Eve goes into his office. Gunn reckons that Eve may be involved somehow but he doesn't know how. Meanwhile Angel arrives at the opera house in Nevada, just after Spike gets there. Both race to get to the cup first. Back to London, 1880, William returns from his night out to see Angelus shagging a girl. To William's horror that girl is none other than his Drusilla. William's furious but both Drusilla and Angelus just laugh. Angelus explains things to him, that they can have whatever they want when they want. Drusilla is nobody's girl. If he wants her he's going to have to get her. Back to present day and Angel and Spike are both by the cup. Angel wonders how it's going to work out, then Spike punches him across the face. The two vampires fight it out.

Back at W&H, in the labs, Gunn's been "infected" by the madness and tries to strangle Eve. Fred managed to knock him out and off Eve. At the opera house the duel is ongoing. Angel taunts Spike by calling him "Willy" again. As Angel reaches for the cup Spike knocks him out of the way. Spike tells Angel that he made him what he was today, the monster he was. With one final knock, Angel's flung across the stage. Spike takes the cup, Angel tries to dissuade him but Spike still drinks. He drops the cup, but nothing's happened. It's just bottled water. In Fred's office, Fred's trying to look after the shaken Eve. Eve doesn't want Fred to pretend to care and takes off. Soon Angel returns from Nevada and tells Fred that the cup was a fake. Spike can't find Sirk either. Angel wants to concentrate on getting the madness thing cleared, but it seems to have cleared itself up, with both Gunn and Harmony getting back to normal. Later on Eve tells Angel that the Senior Partners stepped in. They were working on the problem from day one. Spike goes off to have a drink. Angel and Gunn stay. Angel tells Gunn that Spike beat him, he beat him to the cup, he wanted it more. Elsewhere Eve's returned home. She tells someone all about what happened, Sirk disappeared and the Senior Partners were none the wiser. She gets into bed and the other person is Lindsey McDonald!

Damage
* Written by Steven S. DeKnight & Drew Goddard
* Directed by Jefferson Kibbee
* First Aired - January 28th 2004

In the psychiatric wing of a hospital a patient is seen to be knocked out through the drugs he's been given. Seems there's been a mix up and that patient got someone else's dose. Dr. Rabinaw, the doctor in charge, quickly checks the charts and his heart sinks when he finds out who's meds he's got and who didn't get theirs. The door of a patients' room is being knocked at from the inside, hard. Suddenly it's broken down and a young girl walks through, Dana. The doctor tries to calm her but she breaks lose and kills two guards after which Dr. Rabinaw runs off. She wipes the blood off one of her victims onto her face and walks away. In the Wolfram & Hart offices Gunn and Fred are on their way to Angel's office, talking a bit more about what else has been put into Gunn's head. Another addition seems to have been golf. At Angel's office discussion is on Eve. There's been no sign of her. Angel feels as though he should fire her but Gunn doesn't think it's a good idea because of her connection to the senior partners. Harmony enters the room and tells Angel about a crazy girl who's escaped from the local psychiatric hospital, and she almost forgets to tell them that she seems to be possessed. Wesley suggests putting a team together, but Angel disagrees and says he'll go in person to see things through, because of the nature of the possession. Angel arrives at the hospital and also it seems Spike's got wind of this girl and he's there too. Angel questions the doctor and both Spike and Angel are taken to Dana's room. There they find drawings of girls with demons and other monsters. Spike takes a drawing and heads off to find the possessed. Angel sticks around and a nurse tells him that there's some things that the doctor doesn't want Angel to see.

Dana is now in the outside world. She's eating from the shelves of a supermarket. A clerk tells her to stop but she only breaks his arms. She goes in search of clothing and is confronted by a security guard whom she kills. Meanwhile the nurse takes Angel to see some videos of Dana in the sessions she had with Dr. Rabinaw. Angel recognises the language in which Dana speaks momentarily, it's Romanian. At the supermarket Spike's tracking down Dana's trail and seems to be getting close. Back to Angel, who calls Wesley and tells him that it's not a possession they're dealing with. It's a vampire slayer. Spike has tracked down Dana to a warehouse. Dana smiles in a slightly deranged way and a fight ensues. Dana manages to get hold of a piece of wood and uses it as a stake and then chucks Spike out of the window. Angel then arrives and tells Spike to back off, because he doesn't know what he's dealing with. Angel & Spike arrive back at the W&H offices, Spike trying to get his head round the idea of a psychotic vampire slayer. Angel tells Spike that Wesley called Giles and got his top man working here on this job. As they enter the conference room Spike's met with a teary eyed Andrew.

Andrew's completely speechless about Spike's resurrection, but gets back on the job. He wants to explain the whole slayer thing and proceeds to. He fills the Angel gang in on what Willow did, magic wise, which caused Dana to be a slayer as well. But Dana was an anomaly who wasn't seen by anyone else. For Dana the slayer dreams a potential has have come true, she can't separate reality from fantasy. Spike's about to leave to go and find the girl himself but Angel tries to coax him back but it doesn't work. Elsewhere Dana's wondering alone having flashbacks to the time she was kidnapped. At W&H Lorne has the idea to go back to the house where all of what's happened to Dana really began, it's the only lead they have. Spike's run into Andrew on his hunt for Dana and they find another victim of her's. Lorne's brought a psychic in, Vernon, to read the house in which Dana used to live. He finds out that Dana was taken to a basement which smells of molasses. Dana's having more flashbacks, this time her latest features a needle with Spike holding it. Andrew & Spike have a run in with Dana. Andrew's knocked out cold. Spike runs after the fleeing Dana.

Dana's in a basement of some sort. Spike tries to coax her out and explain to her what's going on. But Spike gets stabbed with a needle with some liquid in it. He gets weakened and Dana drags him away. At the W&H offices they're still trying to narrow down the search. Suddenly Andrew comes in saying that he knows where it is. Spike wakes up from whatever's happened to him. He's extremely drowsy. As he looks down he sees that Dana's cut his hands off. He tries to explain to Dana that she's got her memories and dreams mixed up. She can't take things in. Angel suddenly arrives and grabs Dana from behind. A fight breaks out but Angel has backup and on call 3 tranquilizer darts head straight for Dana. She gets strapped up and ready to be transported elsewhere. Spike's taken to the nearest hospital by Fred. Andrew stops Angel and Wesley as they try to take Dana away. She's one of them, as a large group of slayer appear from nowhere. Andrew tells Angel that their side don't trust him anymore. Buffy doesn't trust him. The slayers and Andrew take Dana away. Later Angel visits Spike in hospital. Seems the two vampires now have a better understanding of one another.

Shells
* First Aired - March 3rd 2004
* Written & directed by Steven S. DeKnight

Illyria gets up, adjusting to her new body. Wesley gets up to see Illyria and point out to her the stretch of humanity, that they now in fact rule the world. She's intent on destroying humanity, knocks Wesley unconscious and is on her way. Angel & Spike are on their way home from England. Both completely disheartened by their fruitless trip but Angel gets an idea when Spike mentions that Fred is gone. Angel thinks that Fred's soul is still out there. People aren't really dead when they die, it seems, many people have come back from the dead. If their soul's were intact. In Gunn's office at Wolfram & Hart Gunn and Harmony seem set up to start torturing Knox, who lies in a bloody heap bound up. Wesley comes in looking for Angel, Gunn tells Wesley that Knox had something to do with Fred's death and Illyria's rise. He's furious that Gunn hadn't told him about this before. As Gunn & Wesley fight Knox begins to laugh, saying how much he loved Fred and how she's become more than she could have ever been now. At this point Wesley draws his gun on Knox and is about to fire. A few seconds later Angel & Spike return with Angel being set on saving Fred's soul. Angel, Lorne, Wesley, Gunn & Spike gather in Angel's penthouse discussing options on what to do. Lorne's beside himself, blaming him for not reading it in Knox. There's nothing he can do and so just walks out, against Angel's wishes, but still does so. Gunn tells them that something could have been done to stop the sarcophagus from getting to Wolfram & Hart. He tells them it was stopped at customs but he doesn't let on who got it through customs. Wesley, again, aims his anger at Gunn for not telling anyone these vital facts. Angel calms him down and says that they are going to get Fred's soul back and that's what really matters. They reckon they need the "big guns" and Wesley suggests Willow, a plan is forming.

Meanwhile in Gunn's office Knox is pulled through the window by none other than Illyria. Harmony goes around and sees Illyria who punches her across the lobby. Knox & Illyria are in Fred's lab where the sarcophagus is. There it's revealed that Knox is Illyria's Qwa'Ha Xahn, her priest. Illyria states that the world was not how she left it and she's going to change it again. At which moment she strips all the clothes from her body. In the office Angel's on the phone, to Giles. Though by the sounds of things he's not getting very far. Wesley apologises to Gunn for going off at him earlier. Angel throws the phone against the wall, it doesn't look like they're going to help them. At that moment Harmony appears at the lift door sporting a nasty bruise. In the lab Illyria puts her hand on her sarcophagus and a suit forms around her skin. They are about to leave when Angel and co arrive with a lot of muscle and bullets. Angel tries to talk to Illyria to give him Fred back, but she doesn't comply. In a hale of gun fire Knox & Illyria manage to escape, only because she distorted time and threw Angel out of the window. As the rest of them are slowed down Illyria and Knox exit the building with ease. A bloodied Angel returns to the Wolfram & Hart building, the gang figure out that Illyria must be able to change time. That must have been the only way she could have escaped. Wesley and Harmony go off to Knox's lab to see if there's anything there they can use, Gunn says he has some contacts he could shake up and Angel & Spike continue on to Angel's office. There Angel expresses his anger over what happened to Cordy. He's not letting that happen to Fred.

In the lab, while Harmony smashes things up, Wesley surveys the sarcophagus quietly. He then asks for the crowbar, which he uses to smash the sarcophagus, not leaving a single dent. Harmony manages to calm him down and tells him what she found. Knox's mobile phone. On it there are three missed calls from the same place. Before they leave Wesley picks up a jewel from Illyria's sarcophagus, thinking it may be useful. Gunn's paying a visit to the good Dr. Sparrow. However the doctor doesn't tell Gunn anything really useful. But he does tell Gunn that Fred's soul was destroyed in the flames of resurrection. At that moment, Wesley arrives. He's heard a lot of the conversation, including how Gunn let the sarcophagus into customs. He puts his gun down, and picks up a surgical utensil and stabs Gunn with it. In Angel's office Angel slams Wesley against the wall, holding him with this sweater. Wesley's beside himself about what he heard and tells Angel the same thing, that Fred's soul is gone. Spike appears and tells them that the only thing he got out of the doctor was Vahla Ha'Nesh. Vahla Ha'Nesh is Illyria's temple, where her army of doom are. Angel says that they have to stop Illyria, before she raises her army.

Knox & Illyria enter a building. Illyria tries to open the gateway to Vahla Ha'Nesh but it fails. Seems Wolfram & Hart have locked the way, but Knox has a way around it. At a hospital bed Gunn lies there. Harmony approaches and says that he has to sign some papers. Obvious that the rest of the gang couldn't face him. Harmony asks why he did it. Gunn says it was because he was weak and then breaks down, realising that because of him Fred is truly gone. Back to Illyria and Knox, they have a few more guests, Spike, Angel & Wesley have arrived. As Angel talks on to Illyria about what's right Wesley, out of the blue, shoots Knox. Angel feels hurt that Wesley hadn't been listening to him. Soon enough a fight breaks out, but Illyria's far too agile for any of them. As Wesley draws his gun Illyria makes them all go in slow motion. Angel reaches for something from his pocket and before you know it he's on the other side of Illyria blindsiding her. He used the crystal from Illyria's sarcophagus. At that moment she sweeps Angel off his feet and enters the gateway to Vahla Ha'Nesh. Soon after, Wesley jumps in after her.

In Vahla Ha'Nesh Illyria finds that her temple is turned to dust. Her army is no more. Just as Wesley pulls a gun on her she vanishes back through the gateway. Back at Wolfram & Hart Wesley, Angel & Spike are in Angel's office. It's a bitter sweet victory. Wesley goes off to the labs while Angel and Spike stay. Spike tells Angel that he's not leaving. This is where he is needed, for the big fight, that he feels is coming. In the labs Wesley packs away all of Fred's things. Illyria enters, not knowing why she's there. But it appears that some part of humanity is slipping into her. She asks for Wesley's guidance to be able to fit into this world. He says he will do it, because she looks like the woman he loves. Snapshots of Gunn in his hospital bed, Harmony at her desk, Lorne in his office having a drink and Illyria by her sarcophagus are seen. Then we see Fred leaving home for the first time and heading off to LA.

The Girl in Question
* First Aired - May 5th 2004
* Written by Drew Goddard & Steven S. DeKnight
* Directed by David Greenwalt

Angel & Gunn are walking through the lobby into Angel's office talking about something which they have to retrieve. Gunn tells Angel it's the body of a demon, the capo, his body has to be brought back to LA so his family can perform the necessary rituals on the body so he can be born again from the body. And so averting a demon war in LA. Angel's reluctant to send anyone but decides that Spike should go on this mission. He gets a call on his phone, as he puts the receiver down he tells Spike, it's Buffy. Buffy's in Italy, the same place where the demon's body is which needs to be retrieved. Angel mentions something about The Immortal, someone who he's crossed paths with in the past. Angel & Spike end up both going. Angel & Spike are on the Wolfram & Hart jet and talk is about Buffy. They argue about why either of them are going, but decide to settle it as they have to work together on this one. Angel asks Spike if he wants to agree and Spike readily agrees. They sit drinking and Spike asks Angel how he knew about Buffy. It seems that Angel had a person watching Buffy, until he ended up in the hospital. Angel asks Spike if he remembers the last time they were in Italy. Spike remembers an Italy in the 1950's, but Angel wasn't there then. So it was in fact 1894 when both of them were in Italy together. We flashback to Rome, 1894, where William and Angelus are hanging by their arms from a ceiling of what looks like a barn. Neither can release themselves, three men walk through the entrance. The man warns Angelus & William to get out of Rome, as it's The Immortal's town, just as Angelus is released he breaks the man's neck and the other two men run. Angelus and William gather their clothes and get ready to leave. Angelus and William arrive back home to find Darla sprawled on the bed

Back to the present in LA, Illyria touches the plant and mentions that she can no longer hear the song of the green. Wesley tells Lorne that all her powers are gone, but she still has a considerable amount of physical strength. Lorne tries to make light of the situation but Illyria doesn't have any of it. Wesley tells her that she must go to the lab, if she wants to find out more about how she can handle her new less powerful self. She goes, as she does the lift doors open and it's Fred's parents, to Lorne's and Wesley's surprise. They ask about Fred and Wesley asks them into his office, as Illyria watches from above. In Rome Spike & Angel are outside a door, they knock on it and Andrew opens it, to both of their surprises. They enter and ask where Buffy is. Andrew replies that she went to see The Immortal, turns out they're going out. Flashback to Rome 1894, Darla wakes up and Angelus kisses her to only let her go and say that he's tasted her. The Immortal slept with Darla that night, but not only her but Drusilla too, who appears from another room. Both William & Angelus are disgusted and infuriated and want to exact their revenge. They go to some kind of club, where there is a guest list, and so not let in, even when they try and force themselves in. Back to present day, Spike & Angel are in the foyer of the capo's house, the demon's body they're going to collect. Neither can quite get over the fact that Buffy is seeing The Immortal and both feel like history's repeating itself. Both are convinced that Buffy must be under a spell or some kind. A maid enters with a bag, inside is the capo's head. Turns out the body hatches from the head, and both are ushered away to get back to LA. Spike & Angel return to Buffy's apartment to still find Andrew there and Buffy not.

Back in LA Wesley is in his office and is about to tell Fred's parents about Fred, when she appears at the door and greets her parents. In Rome Spike & Angel are making their way through a crowded club. They get to the bar and ask the bartender if they've seen The Immortal with Buffy. She points them out in the crowd of dancers. Angel & Spike head off to go and get her, only to realise that they left the head of the capo behind and see that some demon is walking off with it. As they try and stop him a fight breaks out, resulting in a lost head and much confusion. They leave the club chasing the demon with the head, only he steals their car and they both have to ride on the back of a moped. Only the moped isn't nearly fast or durable enough, and with one head on collision between the car and the moped, the moped's dusted and the demon is off with the head. Spike tells Angel that they only have 12 hours in which to get the head back to LA, and after that they're out of there. Angel & Spike return to the bar to ask about Buffy and The Immortal again and where they went. Only they've left. Angel wishes that he had all of his resources at hand, and Spike remembers that there's actually a Wolfram & Hart office right there in Rome. Angel & Spike exit the lift of the Rome based Wolfram & Hart offices only to find it's exactly the same as the LA branch. They're greeted by the CEO, Ilona, of the office and she takes them into her office to talk. In LA Wesley is accompanying the Burkles as they're shown around Fred's old lab. As they inspect Fred's office Wesley grabs Fred and asks Illyria what she's doing. She tells Wesley she couldn't stand for there to be anymore grief around and so did this to stop that.

In Rome Ilona tells Spike & Angel that there's been a ransom for the head and that they're the people for the job, they have to make the drop. Not the plan that Angel wanted with a backup team, task force and lots of guns. They stand in the middle of a street with a briefcase full of money. Spike & Angel become surrounded and at first they try and fight their way out. Back in LA the Burkles are about ready to leave the offices for the beach, Illyria says her goodbyes in the guise of Fred. Wesley firmly tells Illyria to never do that again. Meanwhile back in Rome Spike and Angel trying to fight their way out doesn't seem to be getting them anywhere and in the end exchange the money for the head. As The Immortal's muscle drive away Spike opens the bag with the head in it, only it's not the head, it's a bomb. The bomb explodes and a tattered Angel & Spike come out from the dust. They return to the office in Rome where they're both kitted out with new clothes, some Angel doesn't exactly like. Ilona says that they're dealing with the head situation and they should let them get on with it. With that Angel & Spike are pushed out of the office and decide it's time to head back home. Though they return to Buffy's apartment to find Andrew still there and Buffy not. Andrew tells Angel & Spike that Buffy's moved on and it's time they did too. In LA Illyria/Fred enters Wesley's office trying to be Fred again. Wesley again has to tell her to stop it, but Illyria says she wants to explore this as she finds it interesting. Wesley walks out of the office after telling her no again.

Angel & Spike return to LA. Angel tells Gunn to prepare for the all out demon war because he didn't get the body, but Gunn tells him that the body's in his office. In the office is the bag with the head in it and a note from The Immortal. Which only angers Angel & Spike more... but they come to slowly realise that Buffy is moving on and so should they.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Episodes

13.Blood Ties

Buffy thinks that it's about time the gang find out the truth about Dawn. However they can't seem to hide them finding this all very creepy from Dawn, and she suspects something. At Buffy's 20th birthday party Dawn gets more curious about what Joyce, Giles and Buffy are talking about. And then it seems to her the whole gang are talking about her. She stomps off to the Magic Box, along with Spike, to go and see what Giles has been writing in his book about Glory and what's been going on. As Spike reads they both find out that Dawn is in fact the key, all she is is energy. Dawn doesn't take this very well and when back at the Summers' home she cuts herself. Meanwhile the Knights of Byzantuim have visited Sunnydale once again, after The Key. But things don't go too well when Glory makes a guest appearance. She kills most of the knights except the lead knight, whom she saves until later when she sucks his brain. He then ends up in hospital. After the shock of what came up Dawn feels totally isolated, and when at school gets suspended for obscene language towards a teacher. Over hearing what Buffy and Joyce are talking about her Dawn runs away, to the hospital, to the psychiatric ward. There she finds the knight, and he tells her that she's going to be killed. Ben then runs into her, and they talk. He finds out that Dawn is The Key, and Ben turns into Glory. However Glory has no recollection of Dawn saying that she's The Key. Dawn is told what The Key is by Glory, so she can help find it. But as Dawn is about to be the next thing on the menu Buffy and the gang find her. With the help of Willow and Tara Glory s transported to another place, the sky above Sunnydale. She come crashing back down to earth with a huge thud. Buffy reassures Dawn that they are blood sisters, both the same.

Spiral

After a confrontation with Glory, Buffy decides that it's best for everyone with rather than to stay in Sunnydale where Glory could easily find them. Buffy seems somewhat more spaced than usual after her encounter with Glory, as Glory now knows who the Key is. Meanwhile the Glory that was hit by the truck turned into Ben who went to Glory's apartment. There he tells the minion that he may have a way to keep Glory at bay, with the correct amount and type of drug he may be able to pull it off. With Spike's help, much to the disapproval of Giles and Xander, Buffy gets a vehicle in which they all go into to get away from Glory. Unbeknownst to them but the Knights of Byzantium are also teaming up. They released the knight who had his brain sucked by Glory, and he told the general that the Key is a little girl. Meanwhile Giles takes over in the driving department from Spike. Willow searches through her magic book for anything that could remotely help them but she doesn't come up with anything. Dawn goes to the back of the caravan to see of Buffy's okay. She then tells Buffy that things can't get any worse, but they just do. The Knights manage to catch up to them and Buffy has to go do the fighting thing. The knights use arrows and swords to pelt the Scooby Gang. With the help of Spike, Buffy gets a break and manages to climb to the top of the caravan and fight off the knights. They think they've made it when suddenly one appears in front of the vehicle and throws a spear at it, which pierces Giles, Buffy gets thrown off and the caravan comes tumbling down. They walk along the highway trying to find shelter before Giles gets too hurt and Spike burns up. They find a place, but it isn't too much later before the Knights find them too, and this time they have the general too. The general makes the mistake of coming inside with to get the Key. Willow manages to get a spell going which protects everyone inside the service station. The general gets knocked out by Buffy and tied up. Buffy realises that Giles needs desperate help, so they get Ben in. He straps Giles up but it isn't enough. Soon they find out that the Key opens up all the worlds, hell etc. and merges them all. Glory just wants to go home....but cause some chaos before she gets there. Suddenly Ben freaks out with Dawn beside him desperately wanting to be let out. And then he turns into Glory. Glory grab Dawn and breaks out of Willow's barrier before Buffy can do anything. Buffy is left stunned outside...

All the Way
* First Aired - October 30th 2001
* Written by Stephen S. DeKnight
* Directed by David Solomon

After a hectic Halloween sale day at the Magic Box, in which Dawn gets a five finger discount, Xander announces to the rest of the gang that he and Anya are getting married. This new news shocks and surprises everyone. So Buffy and company throw a party for the new happy couple at the Summers' home. There Willow decorates the place with magic, to he disapproval of both Giles and Tara. After which Tara has a word with Willow, which doesn't exactly end on a good note. Dawn disappears from the impromptu celebrations to have a night out with her friend Janice, claiming that she is in fact sleeping over at her house. Dawn meets up with Janice and some boys, Zach and Justin. Back at the Summers' home Xander's feeling ever more overwhelmed by the whole marriage thing, he doesn't feel as home to it as Anya seem to be. Buffy decides to go out on patrol with Spike. After which Giles receives a phone call from Janice's mother asking about Janice, and that's when they realise what's just happened.

Meanwhile Dawn and her new friends are causing some chaos of their own, having a night out. They get invited to a strange man's home for something to eat. There everything gets a little too creepy, and Justin, in the kitchen out of the eyes of either girl, bites into the neck of the man. All four of them run out of the house. Out on her patrol Buffy sees herself longing for something that Xander and Anya have. But she sees something a little more interesting, a body, which had been fed off. She goes to Spike, where he then tells her of Dawn's wanderings off during the night. Buffy and Spike head out to look for her. Meanwhile Dawn is having a good time, with a vampire, unbeknownst to her. Justin and Dawn are left alone in the car that Zach stole. There she has her first kiss with him, after which she finds out she's a vampire.

Willow and Tara head to The Bronze to look for Dawn. Just as Willow is about to cast a spell to find her, Tara stops her. She doesn't like her overuse of magic, and lets Willow know about it. Willow doesn't appreciate this from her, and doesn't think she's using too much. Tara then leaves Willow there. While on the search for Dawn, Giles hears screaming, and it turns out to be Janice, Zach bit her. Zach and Giles get into a fight in which Zach gets a tree branch stuck through his heart. Giles then goes to search for Dawn, who he does find, but finds himself surrounded by a hoard of other vampires. Luckily Spike and Buffy come in time, they fight. Dawn and Justin get separated and Dawn finds she has to stake him. Back at home Dawn gets a talk from Giles. And Willow tries to sort things out with Tara, but finds Tara's not being receptive. So before she goes to sleep Willow casts a spell that makes Tara forget what just happened, and they're back to being their happy selves.

Dead Things
* First Aired February 5th 2002
* Written by Steve DeKnight
* Directed by James A Contner

In Spike's crypt we see Buffy & Spike under some rugs, with everything else all over the place. They have a perfectly normal conversation until Spike calls Buffy an animal. The trio on the other hand are un-packing in their new location. They've created a device which allows them to have any woman which they want as their sex slave, they call it a cerebral dampner. Buffy's still working at Doublemat Palace and after the serves someone Tara walks in, Buffy goes on a break and they talk. Tara assumes that it's about Willow, but she's wrong, Buffy wants to talk to her about herself. Buffy tells Tara that Spike can hit her without getting a major head ache, Buffy thinks it's the spell that brought her back, so Tara goes to investigate, but she's not allowed to tell anyone. The trio on the other hand are testing their new contraption out. Warren's in a bar, Jonathan and Andrew are in the van looking through some television screens that are linked up to a camera on Warren's tie. They're looking for a girl to make their sex slave, Warren spots one he'd like, it's his ex, Katrina. Warren tries to convince her to come back to him, but it doesn't work and Warren uses the device on her and she begins calling her master.

At the Summers' home Buffy walks in to see Dawn and Xander dancing, Buffy collapses on the couch. After an invitation to The Bronze with Anya, Xander and Willow, which Buffy turns down to spend some time with Dawn. Dawn's off after hearing the hoot of a car horn. She's going over to Janice's to sleep over. Buffy feeling some what hurt from this decides to head over to The Bronze with the rest of the guys. The trio pop a cork off a champagne bottle where Katrina is dressed in a maid's outfit and is serving them all. Warren decides to be the first one to test her out. But things go wrong and Katrina gets her memory back. There's a scuffle as Katrina tries to escape, but things go horribly wrong and Katrina ends up dead. Andrew's in total shock, and Jonathan thinks to go to the police and own up to what's going on. However Warren has other ideas and decides to lay the blame where it should be put and get rid of two birds with one stone. Back at The Bronze Buffy watches Anya, Xander and Willow dance and goes to the balcony. Spike spots her, Buffy's seduced by his words and his touch, they move up and down as Buffy watches the rest of the world from above.

The next day Willow and Xander are heading over to the Magic Box. There they bump into Tara, Xander goes to the shop while Willow and Tara talk together. Tara tries to hide the book that she's got to help Buffy, and Willow explains that she has been doing well, no magic for thirty two days. They part on good terms. That night while Buffy goes out on patrol she stops by the entrance to Spike's crypt, though she walks away and hears a scream which she responds too. Suddenly time goes funny and Buffy sees a girl and then she disappears. Then she sees a demon, which also disappears suddenly. Spike's also there with a bloodied lip. Things go horribly wrong in the fight and Buffy punches the girl, she rolls down a hill and is dead. With some coaxing from Spike she flees the seen. Meanwhile the same girl is seen in the background. That girl is Katrina, she goes into the trio's van and it's actually Jonathan in a spell. Buffy thinking it's her fault decides to go to the police to own up. She tells Dawn that she's going away, Dawn's not at all happy and goes away crying at the thought. Spike tries to stop Buffy doing this, they get into a fight in which Buff beats the crap out of him and she goes inside the police station. There she over hears a police man talking about the girl and he says her name, Katrina, Buffy instantly remembers the name and connects it to Warren and leaves the station. 

At the Magic Box Buffy tells the guys of what's gone on, Dawn asks Buffy if she's going away, she says no and Dawn storm off out of there. The trio gleefully find out that they have got away with murder. That night at the Summers' home Tara tells Buffy that there's nothing wrong with her, she's fine. It's just that her frequency is slightly out of tune with the rest of the humans and so Spike's chip gets a little confused. Buffy also asks Tara why she lets Spike do all those things to her and then she breaks down crying...

Seeing Red
* First Aired May 7th 2002
* Written by Steven S. DeKnight

Tara and Willow are in bed together and both are enjoying the moment. The conversation soon turns to Spike and Buffy and Tara tells Willow that they have bee sleeping together. Willow doesn't believe this at first but Tara affirms her that it is true. Willow goes to see if Buff's back but she isn't. She bumps into Dawn in the hallway and Dawn sees that Tara's there too and gets a little excited about the fact that they're both together again. Buffy's at the trio's house, she's found some of their things but they're not there. She grabs what she can before some giant buzz saws come and tear the place to bits, she barely gets out. Back at the Summers' home Dawn, Tara, Willow and Buffy try and get to work with what they've got on the trio. Anya is doing some work of her own at a bar where she consoles a crying woman who has been cheated on. But the topic veers slightly and it becomes about her all the time, and as the woman is about to make her wish Anya interrupts and stops her making it. The trio are also dong some work of their own. Andrew is in a cave and is backed into a corner by a demon, Warren comes up from behind and zaps it a few times. He then hands a knife to Jonathan after the demon is felled. In Spike's crypt, Spike gets a visit from Dawn, who asks Spike why he did that to Buffy if he loves her. Dawn leaves there asking if he wanted to hurt Buffy, he now has. At the demon cave Andrew and Warren watch as a demon walks through a misty wall. Jonathan appears wearing the demon they just killed. They need it to protect Jonathan to go and retrieve something from across the barrier and only demons of that kinda can cross the barrier. Jonathan returns with a box, and inside it are the Orbs of Nezzla'khan. One to make you strong and the other to make you invulnerable. Warren tries them out and floors a demon with his bare hands. 

Buffy goes to see Xander to talk things over of the past few days. The place is a tip. Xander tells Buffy how he can't understand how she did what she did with Spike. Xander can't take anymore of it and barges out. Back at the Summers' home Willow is trying to figure out the trio's plans looking through a disk on her laptop on the bed. They are schematics for banks and other things. But things don't get very far as Willow soon crawls into bed with Tara. Xander's at The Bronze, drinking his cares away. Warren, Jonathan and Andrew soon also arrive, Warren eager to test out his new toy. Buffy's at the graveyard doing her usual rounds where a vampire kicks her as he is dusted and she lands on a gravestone which the breaks through, and gives her some serious back pain. Buffy arrives home and has a shower to try an ease the pain and so switches the shower on. Spike arrives and tells Buffy that he's sorry. Buffy just wants him to leave. Spike tries to force himself onto Buffy, Buffy tries to get him off. A struggle breaks outs and Buffy gets hit on her back and Spike tries to pin her down but Buffy kicks him off. At The Bronze Andrew and Jonathan watch Warren as he makes his move on a girl. The girl's boyfriend soon arrives back and Warren starts a fight. Xander catches the last moments of it, and tries to stop it, but gets thrown across the room by Warren. Warren wants to finish him off but they are late for something and so leave. Xander goes back to Buffy's home to tell her the news. He sees Spike's coat and so presumes that her and Spike are back together. he finds Buffy in tears on the bathroom floor bruised and hurt. Xander sees the bruises and asks what's going on, but Buffy says nothing as Willow soon arrives to, but it's obvious to Xander what has just happened. Willow tells them that they've found something about Warren and co. 

Downstairs Willow and Tara tell Buffy that they seem to be hitting banks and places like that looking to get some serious dinero. Xander warns Buffy that Warren has got stronger, and Buffy tells him that now she doesn't have to hold anything back now. Spike at his crypt goes over the memories of what he's just done. Clem arrives and talks to him about it, and Spike thinks it's the chip that's making him feel this way. Clem tells him of a place to go where he could get himself sorted. At a theme park a truck comes and collects the days earnings, as the truck tries to leave it is picked up by Warren and tossed like a toy car. Buffy soon arrives and a fight breaks out. Just as Warren thinks he's getting the upper hand Jonathan lends a hand and launches himself on Buffy. When there he tells her to smash his orbs, Buffy listens and throws Jonathan off. When Buffy gets the chance the grabs Warren's orbs and smashes them on the floor. Warren removes his coat to reveal a jet pack, which he fires up and is out of there. Andrew tires to do the same thing, but he's hit with the roof of the shelter he's standing on and goes no where. Jonathan and Andrew are taken to jail while Warren is still loose. Andrew's more hung up about it than Jonathan. That night Spike gets on his motorbike and is off, saying he'll be back soon. The next day Willow and Tara are finding it new and different to be in clothes for once. Xander and Buffy talk outside and make up, about the past few things that have been going on. Just as they're made up Warren appears from behind the bushes and tells Buffy that she can't do that to him and produces a gun. Buffy pushes Xander backwards and the gun fires. Buffy hits the floor, upstairs the second shot shatters the window and Tara tells Willow that her shirt has gone all strange and she too falls to the floor. Xander desperately tries to keep Buffy conscious while Willow tries to see if Tara's still alive. Suddenly Willow looks up out of her streaming eyes and her eyes turn a glowing red colour...