FRED
(To WES after staring at a waiting bidder)
Did you see that?

WES
(Distracted with the program)
See what?

FRED
That man three rows up. He’s got three eyes! One
in the back of his head!

WES
(Unimpressed.)
What? Where? Oh. Cheops demon.
Don’t stare at the third eye. It’s considered very rude.

FRED
I wasn’t staring at it. It was staring at me.

WES
Yes, they move independently. They’re attached
to a second, much smaller prefrontal brain that’s––

He’s interrupted by the arrival of the AUCTIONEER, a suave, well-manicured man in a tuxedo, who steps up to the podium on a slightly raised stage.

AUCTIONEER
Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen. I’m very pleased to see you
all here tonight, and I think that the items we have to offer you will
please you very much in return. Let me begin by saying that
Price-Holland House personally guarantees the authenticity of
every item we bring you tonight, and will be happy to safeguard your
purchase until suitable arrangements can be made for its transport
or transference....

FRED
(Quietly to WES while auctioneer continues in background)
The Key of Camarra,
we’re taking it with us, right?

WES
Yes. If we’re fortunate enough to win.
I expect I’ll be able to fit it into my coat pocket.

AUCTIONEER
So Ladies and Gentlemen, without any further
ado, let us begin the bidding with something beautiful.

The AUCTIONEER signals to his associate, who brings a small velvet lined chest with a glittery necklace with a large light blue gemstone.

I give you, The Amulet of Ahmey.

(There is a collective oooh-aahhh from the audience.)

We’ll start the bidding at Twenty thousand.
Ah, number fifty-eight. Do I hear thirty?

FRED
Hey, that looks a little like Spike’s amulet.
Maybe we should bid on it?

WES
No. I’ve been over all the items in the
program. The Key is the only one we need
concern ourselves with.

FRED
(Disappointed)
Oh. Oh, well.

AUCTIONEER
(In the background)
I have thirty-five. Do I hear forty?

WES
(Amused by Fred’s reaction.)
Why? Do you like it?

FRED
Well, it is awfully pretty.
Does it have any powers?

AUCTIONEER
(In the background)
That’s fifty thousand. Anyone else? Fifty thousand
going once.... fifty thousand going twice...

WES
(Even more amused)
Indeed. And it never fails.

FRED
(Enthusiastic)
Really? What does it do?

WES
(Grinning)
It prevents tooth decay.

AUCTIONEER
Sold for fifty thousand to number thirty-seven.

CLOSE-UP on winning demon with very large teeth. FRED and WES laugh a little. It’s clear they’re having a very good time being out together.

AUCTIONEER
The next item up for bid is one I know many
of you have come here expressly for tonight.
So let’s bring it out....

The AUCTIONEER waves a hand, and the lights dim slightly. There is a quiet drum roll as two enormously muscled MEN struggle to push out what appears to be a huge marble column to the center of the stage. The AUCTIONEER indicates the column with a flourish of his hand.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Key of Camarra.

FRED and WES stare.

FRED
You’re going to need a bigger pocket.

FADE OUT to OPENING CREDITS

ACT I
1 INTERIOR – AUCTION HOUSE

Pick up in the same place, with the AUCTIONEER indicating the column. ANGLE ON THE COLUMN where the assistant moves to open a smaller section on its face. Inside, a light shines down on a silver artifact. It has the ornate handle of a key and the blade of a dagger. It is lying on a red velvet lined leather case, lying opened in a diamond shape.

WES
That’s it.

AUCTIONEER
The bidding will begin at fifty thousand.
Ah, I have fifty. Do I hear sixty ? There, seventy?

(WES raises his number.)

I have seventy, do I hear eighty? Eighty there.
Ninety? One hundred thousand? Ah, one hundred.
Number 18, one twenty five? I have one twenty five.
One fifty?

(WES raises his number.)

There’s one fifty. I have one hundred and fifty thousand.

(One bidder drops out, others grumble. One raises his number)

I have one hundred seventy-five...

(The AUCTIONEER looks at WES, who doesn’t respond.)

FRED
(Whispering)
What are you doing? We’re going to lose it!

AUCTIONEER
I have one seventy-five. Anyone else?
One seventy-five going once...

FRED
Wesley!

(WES is stoic and unconcerned.)

AUCTIONEER
One seventy-five going twice...

WES raises his number slightly, and makes a little dip with it. The AUCTIONEER catches it immediately.

Two. I have two hundred thousand.

He looks back at the other bidder who hesitates, then passes.

Two hundred going once, Two hundred going twice....
Sold to number eighty-five for two hundred thousand.

FRED
(Enthusiastically clutching WES’s arm)
You did it!

CUT TO:
2 EXTERIOR –STREET OUTSIDE THE AUCTION HOUSE – NIGHT

FRED and WES exit the auction house and walk to the car, Fred’s arm looped through Wes’s, chattering about the auction. WES opens the car door for FRED, turns, and (FROM WES’S POV) WUMP! Gets hit across the face and goes down. DEMON ASSAILANT hits him a few more times then picks his pocket. He runs off as FRED struggles out of the car and helps WES, who is still on the ground.

CUT TO:
3 INT. ANGEL’S OFFICE – NIGHT

ANGEL sits behind his desk, arms folded, listening to WES who is standing at the corner of his desk. WES looks distinctly beaten up.

WES
(miserably)
We were very successful at the auction, it was
afterward that we ran into trouble. He jumped
me at the car and took it. I tried to follow him in the
car but we lost him.
(beat)
He could be anywhere now.

ANGEL
And this “Key of Camarra” – how bad is it?

WES
(Shaking his head and turning away)
Of itself, it’s neither good nor bad. It’s a tool.

ANGEL
Okay. What’s it do?

WES
Well, it...it brings a person’s emotional hot spots
to bear. Strips the defenses. Exposes essential
weaknesses.
(Beat)
Usually induces suicide.

ANGEL
Well, that doesn’t sound so bad. I mean, it’s not like
a virus or a bomb that’s gonna take out half the city.

WES
(Turning back)
No....it’s an assassin’s tool. Designed for use on specific
individuals. People with power, like presidents and heads of
evil law firms.

They exchange a look.

ANGEL
Okay, well, we’ll have to get it back.

WES
(Dejected)
I wouldn’t know where to start.

ANGEL
Let’s start with the guy who took it. Did you get
A good look at him?

WES
Yes. It was a grevlar demon in a black trench coat.

ANGEL’S face falls.

ANGEL
That’s no good – they all look alike.

WES nods.

WES
You’re beginning to see the problem.

ANGEL
(Frowning)
Maybe if we go back to the alley where you lost him?
Do a circular search from there? Somebody must’ve seen them.

MERCEDES
(From off camera)
You’ll never find him like that. And it wouldn’t do
you any good if you did.

ANGEL and WES look up, surprised by the voice.

ENTER MERCEDES GREY. Slender, classy, feminine but athletic blonde, understated pale pink satin shirt over black leather pants, wearing a long leather coat not unlike Spike’s. We can guess by the look and the way she moves that she’s probably a vampire of past acquaintance. She’s got a black leather bag slung over one shoulder.

ANGEL
(Neutrally)
Mercedes.

MERCEDES
(Smiling ruefully at the lackluster greeting)
Hello Angelus.
(Sparing only a glance for Wes, she moves closer
to the desk)

ANGEL
What are you doing here?

ENTER HARMONY, barging in.

HARMONY
The vampire detectors are all going off, boss!
There’s an unidentified vamp in the build—
(Noticing Mercedes)
–ing.

ANGEL
It’s all right, Harmony. Let security know, okay?

HARMONY
(Eyeing Mercedes)
Okay....Oh, now? Okay.

EXIT HARMONY.

ANGEL
(undiverted)
So why are you here, Mercedes?

MERCEDES
(Eyeing him for a beat)
It won’t do you any good to find the grevlar. A grevlar
demon wouldn’t want the key for himself. You know that.

WES
Yes, that’s quite true.

MERCEDES glances at him but still does not acknowledge him. She sits on the corner of Angel’s desk.

MERCEDES
(with amused nonchalance)
Besides, it hit the black market an hour ago.

WES and ANGEL regard her with surprise.

WES
If that’s true, maybe we can simply buy it.
Again.

MERCEDES
(Grins and looks at ANGEL with a “get a load of this one” expression)
Yeah.

ANGEL
(To Wes)
No, if it’s what you said it was, it’s already been sold.

WES
That’s it then. We’ve lost it until whoever bought
it tries to use it.

ANGEL
Or until someone who knows tells us.
(He looks pointedly at Mercedes, who smiles
mischievously back at him.)

MERCEDES reaches into her bag and pulls out a black file folder, which she hands to ANGEL. He accepts it and opens it.

CUT TO:
4 CLOSE-UP OF OPEN FOLDER

Shows an 8x10 glossy of a hard and seedy man.

CUT TO:
5 Back to ANGEL.

ANGEL
Who’s this?

MERCEDES
Glyndon Kellerman. Kidnapper, child pornographer – and
those are his good points. I’ve been tracking him
for two months, through New York and Chicago.

ANGEL
And you want me to do what? Find him
for you? Kill him?

MERCEDES
(Confused, looking at Angel strangely)
Of course not.

ANGEL
(Cutting to the chase)
Look, Mercedes, I get it. You want something in
exchange for telling me who has the key. Exactly
what is it you want?

MERCEDES
(As if it should be obvious)
Permission to kill Kellerman.

It’s ANGEL’S turn to look confused.

ANGEL
What?

MERCEDES
Look at the other photos Angelus. This guy left a
whole room in Chicago lined with videos of the kids he’d...hurt.
I know that won’t bother you, but you can understand where I
might enjoy tearing his throat out. So that’s the deal. Look, I
only came here as a professional courtesy because I heard you
were running the show. You give me permission to take out
Kellerman, and I’ll get a name for you.

ANGEL starts glancing through the photos, his face freezing, stunned, suddenly angry.

ANGEL
(Flatly, ignoring Wes’ reaction)
Permission granted.

MERCEDES
(Looking at him sharply, surprised by his reaction
to the photos)
Angelus, you don’t—

ANGEL
(Looking up at her, eye to eye)
It’s Angel, actually.

Her turn to be surprised. She sees in his eyes that it’s true.

MERCEDES
Angel?
(She laughs.)
What the hell are you doing here?

ANGEL
(Leans back in his desk chair)
I’m running Wolfram & Hart.

She starts to laugh again, and gathers up her folder, putting it back in her bag.

MERCEDES
I bet that story’s worth hearing....

ANGEL
Yeah, maybe some other time.

MERCEDES
(Clearly amused)
Yeah, we’ll have coffee. (Beat) So if I get you the name,
you don’t have any problem with me taking Kellerman out?

ANGEL
(Jaw set in a hard line)
No problem. I’m surprised you even asked.

MERCEDES
(Tilting her head curiously)
You do know that he works for you?

ANGEL AND WES
WHAT?

MERCEDES
(Grinning)
He’s currently an employee of Wolfram and Hart, your
Entertainment division. I didn’t want to make an
enemy of your firm if I didn’t have to. It has long arms.
For Heaven’s sake, Angel. I told you this call was a
professional courtesy. I’m not asking for permission
because you’re Angel Almighty.

ENTER SPIKE AND GUNN
They’re talking as they come in, but SPIKE stops dead in his tracks when he sees MERCEDES.

SPIKE
I’m telling you, Charlie. There’s an easier way to—
(beat)
Mercy?

MERCEDES turns and sees SPIKE. She is clearly stunned. This quickly turns to joy as she runs and throws her arms around him. SPIKE seems equally thrilled to see her, opening his arms wide.

MERCEDES
(with wonder, still clutching him)
Spike! Oh, it’s really you, Spike! I thought you were dead!
I heard that you went down with the ship in Sunnydale!

SPIKE
(Smiling down at her)
Well, I did. But there was this amulet, then
this box full of flash, and I turned out to be not
quite so dead as everybody thought.

MERCEDES links her arm through SPIKE’S and steers him toward the door.

MERCEDES
You must tell me everything.

SPIKE grins and raises a what’s-a-bloke-going-to-do? eyebrow at GUNN, allowing himself to be moved toward the door. They pause in the doorway, where MERCEDES looks over her shoulder at ANGEL.

I’ll call you later with the name.
Nice to see you, Angel. And by the way,
that desk looks good on you.

EXIT SPIKE AND MERCEDES

GUNN
Who was that?

ANGEL
An old...acquaintance. Mercedes Grey.
(Hitting his intercom)
Harmony, get Lorne in here.

WES
Vampire?

ANGEL
Yeah.

WES
Am I to understand that you made a deal allowing
her to kill one of your employees in order to
obtain the name of the demon who bought
the Key of Camarra?

GUNN
(Startled)
Kill who? What key? We’re not opening any more
dimensional doors are we?

WES
(Eyes still on Angel, waiting on an answer)
No, the Key of Camarra is a weapon,
not an actual key.

ANGEL
You didn’t see the pictures. I’d like to kill him myself.

WES
(Concerned)
Angel, however despicable this man may be,
we don’t have the moral right to simply kill him.

ANGEL
I’m not gonna kill him, Wes. The deal I made was to
not be upset if someone else does.

WES
But—

ENTER LORNE

LORNE
You wanted to see me Twinkle Teeth? Uh-oh,
I hope that dark cloud over your head isn’t looking
to rain on my parade....

ANGEL
You got a guy working for you named
Glyndon Kellerman?

LORNE
(Thinking)
Kellerman....oh, Kellerman. Yes I do. Adult
Entertainment division. Big money maker,
But...ugly stuff.

ANGEL
(Angry)
I don’t care how much money he makes!
This firm will NOT employ child pornographers and—

LORNE
Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Kiddie porn? No, this guy
Does S&M, bondage stuff– Not pretty but
all consensual.

ANGEL
Not from what I’ve seen. Check into it. Now.

LORNE
(Nods. Troubled.)
Right away.

Lorne heads for the door, pauses when Angel calls him.

ANGEL
And Lorne, dig into everyone in that division.
Make sure it really IS all consensual.

EXIT LORNE

GUNN
So who is this Mercedes Grey? And
How come our list of No Kill vampires is getting so long?

ANGEL
Mercedes is...not exactly an old friend, but...

GUNN
She seemed pretty friendly with Spike.

ANGEL
(Frowning)
Yeah, well, they’ve been ...friends a long time. She’s
as old as I am.

GUNN
Which still isn’t explaining why we’re not
staking her.

ANGEL
Mercedes is....different. When she was alive, she
had this little boy. He was only four when some
...bad people got a hold of him.

WES
Murdered him?

ANGEL
Yeah, but not before....They hurt him. In a lot
of ways. Mercedes was just a chambermaid. She
didn’t have anyone to help her. Authorities didn’t listen.
She found him......
(He looks down – it’s a bad memory.)
She became a vampire to be strong enough to
exact revenge. It took years, but she found them.

WES
And killed them?

ANGEL
(Raises brows as if “killed” is too mild a word.)
Yeah.

GUNN
By why’d her demon self even care?

ANGEL
I don’t know. But part of her held on to humanity. That’s all
she does now. Hunts down and kills the worst child abusers
she can find. She lives on animal blood in between kills.

WES
And what if Lorne’s right? And this guy isn’t guilty?

ANGEL
He’s guilty.
(beat)
He was in one of the photos.

6 INTERIOR – HOTEL ROOM

A posh interior of an expensive hotel. PAN in, showing coats and shoes carelessly removed, empty wine bottle and glass. MERCEDES is sitting curled on the foot of the bed, across from SPIKE. Lights are comfortably low. They’ve obviously been talking for some time.

MERCEDES
And so you burned? Why didn’t you just leave when
the Slayer wanted you to?

SPIKE
‘Cause she wasn’t usin’ her head. She was just sayin’
it out of...friendship, or...what have you.
(beat)
It wasn’t finished. If I’d have left then, it might not
have ever been.

MERCEDES
(with awe)
And yet you tell me you’re not a hero?

SPIKE
(Frowning)
I just stood there, Mercy, and let the amulet
do the work.

MERCEDES
Through you. Through your soul. God, I still
can’t get used to that.
(She smiles a little and touches his face.)
You knew it would kill you.

SPIKE
Yeah....

MERCEDES
And still you stayed. You stood there till you
had no more legs to stand on.
(beat, then softly)
For her?
(shakes her head.)
She left without you.
You had a chance to go with her. She wouldn’t
have blamed you. No, I know you, Spike. Maybe you
can fool them, maybe even yourself, but you can’t fool me.
You didn’t just do it for the Slayer, you did it for all of them.
The Slayer’s friends, those girls,
all the humans on this sorry world.
You’re a true champion – a hero right
down to the bone, and there’s just no way around it.

She means it. SPIKE, wondering at her words, looks hard into her eyes. She holds the gaze a moment, then strokes his hair.
Did she ever say thank you, I wonder.

SPIKE
She...she couldn’t. I was gone. Dead. She’s in
Europe now – she doesn’t even know that
I’m alive.

MERCEDES
(Eyes him, wondering why the Slayer STILL
doesn’t know. Instead of asking, says softly)
What was it like? Being dead? Did you see....?

SPIKE
Hell? No. My soul was caught inside the amulet. I
didn’t see a damn thing. One minute I was burnin’ to
ash, and the next I was standin’ in Angel’s office, a
bloody ghost.

MERCEDES
A ghost?

SPIKE
Yeah, for a long damn time. The people at Wolfram
and Hart tried everything to make me solid again,
but nothing worked. Then one day, a box comes in
the mail, no return address. Open it up, big flash of
light, and I’m corporeal again.

MERCEDES
And that’s all it took? Just a flash in
a box? Do you know who sent it?

SPIKE
Not a clue. To be honest, I don’t even care.
I’m just happy to be solid again. To be able to taste
things, to feel things again.

MERCEDES
(Softly, smiling wickedly)
Anything in particular you’d like to feel again?

SPIKE
(Grins back but hesitates)
Mercy, I’ve just told you.....

MERCEDES
About the Slayer. Yes, I was listening. The same way
I always listened about Drusilla.

(She slides closer)

But right now, you don’t owe anybody anything.
Its been, what? Ten years since we’ve seen each other?
But we’re still friends, Spike.

(She twines her arms around his neck. He doesn’t resist.)

You know me, I’m not asking for anything but... a little comfort.
Sounds like you could use some too.
That’s what friends do...

(She brushes her lips across his)

They comfort each other.
Provide a little warmth against the cold.

(Near his ear)

A little fire in the night.

(She draws him down on the bed and he goes willingly.)

We were always pretty good at that.
So let’s do that for each other.

(Kisses him lightly and looks into his eyes, running a hand down his body)

Give each other just... a little comfort.

(She glances downward and the wicked grin returns.)

Well, okay, in your case, some really big comfort....

(Spike grins back and follows it with a passionate kiss.)

ACT II

7 EXTERIOR – DOCKS. WES, GUNN and FRED hide behind a pile of crates and watch a certain boat dock. So far there is no activity. Crates are piled on both sides of a walkway.

GUNN
So where’s Spike?

WES
(Looking at his watch)
Too late now. We’d better hope he doesn’t show,
or he’s going to walk in on the deal going down.

FRED
Well, are we even sure that he knows about it?

GUNN
Yeah, Angel talked to him this afternoon when
Mercedes called with the info. He was supposed
to meet us here.

FRED
Maybe something happened. Maybe...

WES
(Seeing figures approach)
SSSH! Get down!

8 PULL BACK TO SEE MORE OF THE DOCK.

ENTER DEMON in a suit, with a THUG in tow. THUG is carrying a large wooden crate. They walk toward the dock.

GUNN
That our guy?

WES
That’s him.

They edge closer behind the crates.

GUNN
We got a plan here, or....

ANGEL leaps from behind crate on other side and strikes the THUG on the back of the neck. THUG stumbles and drops the crate he’s carrying, but does not go down. THUG turns and backhands ANGEL.

Guess not.

GUNN dashes forward and hits THUG before he can go after ANGEL. SUITED DEMON gets into the act, joined by three others from the boat dock. They fight. FRED picks up Wes’s weapon and stands off to the side, looking for an opportunity to use it.

CUT TO:
9 INTERIOR – HOTEL BATHROOM

PAN in, showing tile floor with towel and bathrobe lying in heap, bottom of claw foot bath tub. Room is lit with many candles.

OFF CAMERA
Sound of laughter, not just tittering but real laughter.

PAN up over edge of tub.

SPIKE is lying back against MERCEDES in a bubble bath. His left hand is on her leg, the other holding a glass of bourbon. She has her arms wrapped around him and is occasionally dragging a large sponge over his chest. Her hair is pinned up. Steam rises from the water.

MERCEDES
I think the final straw was when he told
you to fix the buckle on his shoe.

SPIKE
Pompous ass thought he owned us just
because he was payin’ us.

MERCEDES
I’ll never forget the expression on his
face when you reached down and pulled
his feet out from under him!
(They laugh)
It might not have been so amusing if he
hadn’t cried out, “My backside!” loud enough
for everyone in the ballroom to hear!

SPIKE
That was a show stopper. Apparently Arch Dukes hit their
ass as hard as everyone else. The bread pudding on his
head was a nice touch too.

MERCEDES
(Shrugging delicately)
The dish reminded me of a crown.
Serves him right for treating you like a lackey.
He was lucky we didn’t just eat him.

SPIKE
(Still smiling but more thoughtful)
You always were on my side, weren’t you, Mercy?

MERCEDES
(Tilting her head to peer sideways at him)
Of course.

SPIKE leans his head back against her and runs his hand down her leg. She responds strongly even though he can’t see it.

SPIKE
You know what I like best about
our memories together?

MERCEDES
(Trying to sound unaffected by the hand)
No. What?

SPIKE
They don’t all end in blood.

MERCEDES
(Thoughtfully)
Some of them do.

SPIKE
(Definitive)
Most of them don’t.

SPIKE finishes the bourbon and sets the glass aside.
MERCEDES runs the sponge up his chest. Thinking, he lifts her hand to his lips.

MERCEDES
Well, that was never what we were about anyway.

SPIKE lays the hand back on his chest, still covering it with his own. The other hand is still on her leg, stroking.

SPIKE
(Smiling a little, distracted by what he’s doing)
No? What were we about?

MERCEDES
(Smiling, a little breathless)

Comfort. Fun.

(She kisses his neck, his ear. His response is equally strong)

Feeling alive in the moment.
(She sighs).

You know why you always came back to me Spike?
Every time Drusilla wandered away? Because I
never asked you for anything. Never asked you to
be anything for me. I just took you as you were,
however you were, and that was always enough.

SPIKE
Drusilla.....

MERCEDES
Ssssh. Go back to her or don’t. Go
to your Slayer or don’t. It doesn’t change us.
Doesn’t change this moment.

SPIKE
(Closes his eyes)
I wonder if you’d have felt the same had we known
each other in life.

MERCEDES
(Laughs)
Master William and Mistress Mercedes?

SPIKE
No, I was too much of a weak—

MERCEDES
(Gently insistant)
William wasn’t weak. He was gentle.
There’s a difference.

Surprised by this, SPIKE turns his head toward her face as much as the position will allow.

Of course I would have cared for William.
(She nips his ear.)
But I would have corrupted him.

SPIKE turns his head back, sighing.

SPIKE
I would have let you. I certainly didn’t put up
much of a fight when Dru turned me.

MERCEDES
I would never have turned you! You know me
better than that. (Close to his ear) But oh, how I would
have enjoyed corrupting you!

To emphasize this point, she runs both hands over him, the left down into the water where it’s doing things under the bubbles.... SPIKE’S reaction is immediate and intense, but he doesn’t let it go on long before he flips his body suddenly over on top of her. MERCEDES is happily startled. Gripping the top of the tub, he moves back and forth on her suggestively, kissing her, wet muscles flexing. Passion builds abruptly and he moves once more, harder, and she gasps as if more has started going on under the bubbles than before...

CUT TO:
10 EXTERIOR – DOCKS. Sound of gasp segues into Fred screaming as the THUG bears down on her. WES tackles him from the side and takes him down, finishing him as GUNN thumps one with a crowbar and ANGEL finishes the other two. GUNN and ANGEL approach WES, who gets unsteadily to his feet near the crate.

GUNN
(Putting a hand to the bleeding bruise on his
forehead then looking at the blood on his hand)

Damn! What kind of demons were these?

WES
(Holding his jaw)
Sosoff demon.

GUNN
So soft? Who named them that?
They’re tough as alligator hide.

ANGEL
(Frowning at the blood)
“Sosoff” not....are you okay?

GUNN
Yeah, but we sure could have
used Spike here.

ANGEL looks around, glowering.

CUT TO:
11 INTERIOR – HOTEL ROOM

SPIKE and MERCEDES have moved to the hotel bed, where they have just finished some passionate lovemaking. MERCEDES is still on top, breathing hard, as is SPIKE.

MERCEDES
(Lying down on him, laughing a little)
Oh, Spike, some things just don’t get old....

SPIKE
(Laughs a little into her neck, then kisses her shoulder.)
No, love, some things don’t change.

She rolls off him and settles into the crook of his arm with her head on his shoulder. He keeps his arm around her and blows out air in a whew!

MERCEDES
(Tilting her head to look at him.)
But some do. Like that soul, for example.

SPIKE
Hmmm. Fat lot of good it’s done me.

MERCEDES
(Curiously)
What was it supposed to have done?

SPIKE
(Stumbling)
Well, it was...I don’t know...give me more...
control, I guess...

MERCEDES
Hasn’t it?

SPIKE
Yeah, but....

MERCEDES
But she still doesn’t want you?

He doesn’t answer. She sighs and runs a hand over his chest.

Foolish humans.

CUT TO:
12 EXTERIOR – DOCKS.

ANGEL, FRED, WES and GUNN stand around the crate amid the unconscious demons.

FRED
Shouldn’t we open the crate?
See if the Key’s inside?

GUNN steps forward with the crowbar and pries the lid up, lifting it and looking inside.

GUNN
Well, I don’t know what the key looks like,
But I’m pretty sure this isn’t it.

WES
(Frowning comes to look.)
Maybe it’s at the bottom?

GUNN
Now way I’m sticking my hand in there.

ANGEL moves to look and his face registers disappointment. He glances around at the demons unconscious on the ground with dismay.

ANGEL
Put the lid back on. We’ll bring the whole crate back.

GUNN replaces the lid and tamps it with the crowbar.

CUT TO:
13 INTERIOR – ANGEL’S OFFICE

Angel is sitting at his desk, reading something, angry.

ENTER SPIKE
Moving to stand in the sunlight, closing his eyes and clearly enjoying it.

SPIKE
And a sunny good morning to you, boss man.

ANGEL
Where the hell were you?

SPIKE
Don’t worry, I brought the car back. Not a scratch.

ANGEL
You took one of my cars?

SPIKE
Yeah, but it’s all back tucked safe and sound
into it’s parking spot. So there’s no need to
go all postal about it.

ANGEL
So where were you?

SPIKE
(Frowning and moving closer to the desk)
Where do you think I was?

ANGEL
Well, I’m going to guess with Mercedes, but
what I’m more concerned about was why you
weren’t at the docks. Did you know?

Realization that he hadn’t been where he’d agreed to be and confusion hit SPIKE at the same time.

SPIKE
Know? Know what?

ANGEL
That she sent us on a wild goose chase. We tipped them off
that we’re watching the docks by staging a major raid on
a crate of monkey hands.

SPIKE
(Finding humor in this despite the circumstances)
Monkey hands?

ENTER GUNN

GUNN
(Off their intense looks)
Oh, sorry. Am I interrupting something?

SPIKE
No, Angel was just giving me a hard time for not
lending a hand last night. Although from the sound
of it, you had more hands than you needed.

GUNN
(Smiles at the humor)
Yeah...
(Indicates his head)
Still could’ve used you, though.

(To ANGEL)

About those hands – thought
you’d want to know – Wes says they’re all charmed.
So it’s a pretty good thing we got them, cause, you know,
monkey paws and wishes gone bad and all.

SPIKE
See? There you go. All’s well that ends well.

ANGEL
(To Spike)
Did you know?

SPIKE looks at him. He is about to be glib but is troubled by the thought that something might be going on with Mercedes that he doesn’t know about.

SPIKE
(Running a hand to the back of his neck.)
No. I just forgot. Got distracted.

GUNN
Well, if it was that blonde vamp who was doing
the distracting, I can’t say I blame you too much.

ANGEL
(Reprovingly)
Gunn....

(To Spike)

Look Spike, if you’re going to help us, fine, if you’re not,
don’t. But don’t tell me you’re going to be someplace and
then not show up. I’ve got people at risk here, and if you’re
not going to be there to back them up, I need to know about
it before anything goes down.

SPIKE frowns; he knows Angel’s right but it won’t be easy to admit it.

SPIKE
You’re right. Won’t happen again.
Now what?

ANGEL, not expecting this answer, is a little thrown.

ANGEL
Now....now we go talk to her. Where is she?
Which hotel?

SPIKE glares.

SPIKE
Forget it, I’m not telling you.

ANGEL
(Frustrated)
We need to find out where this Key
really is!

SPIKE
Yeah, I’ll tell her you want to talk to her and
bring her down here. You’re not going to barge
into her hotel room with a couple of heavies
and try to scare it out of her. Not on my watch.

ANGEL
Damn it, Spike! Why are you protecting her?
She lied. You can’t trust her, she doesn’t have a soul!

SPIKE
(Angry)
You just assume she lied. What if
someone else lied to her? What if she got the wrong
information? She’s not in our little soul-having club so
she’s automatically a liar?

ANGEL
(face to face)
She’s not trustworthy, Spike. She never was.

SPIKE
(Right back at him)
Not to you, maybe. I’ve trusted her for a hundred years.

ANGEL
(Closer)
She lies.

SPIKE
(Not backing off)
Not to me.

ENTER HARMONY

HARMONY
Uh, excuse me boss. I don’t mean to break up
your little ménage-ah-two, but that blonde vamp in black
is back and she wants to see you.

ANGEL
Mercedes? Send her in.

ANGEL and SPIKE exchange a glare.

ENTER MERCEDES. She strides in, pauses, surprised to see SPIKE standing there, then gives a little smile that’s for him alone.

ANGEL
(Interrupting the exchange)
I was just going to come looking for you.

MERCEDES
Well, then I did you a favor.

ANGEL
That tip you gave me last night
was a waste of time. And since you kept Spike
away from it, I have to think you knew all along.

MERCEDES
(Frowning)
Kept Spike away?

She looks questioningly at Spike.

Spike was supposed to go to the docks?

ANGEL steps toward MERCEDES and SPIKE matches him stride for stride. ANGEL stops. MERCEDES looks from one man to the other.

Look, I admit I kept Spike...busy last night. And I admit
I gave you bad information, but that’s why I’m here.

ANGEL
Keep talking.

MERCEDES
(She eyes him, unafraid.)
First I want you to promise me that Kellerman is still mine.

ANGEL
No promises. No deals. Talk.

MERCEDES
(Angry.)
Go to hell, Angel.

ANGEL takes another step toward her, but SPIKE intervenes.

SPIKE
She’s just asking for what you’ve already
promised. Unless you lied.

ANGEL
(Grinding his teeth)
All right. Yes. He’s still yours.

MERCEDES
(Glancing at Spike, appreciative)
The grevlar sold it to a Sosoff demon – the same one
who bought the monkey paws. What I didn’t know yesterday
is that he bought it for a fourth party...

ANGEL
(Putting it together.)
Kellerman.

MERCEDES raises her brows in assent.

MERCEDES
So we’re both after the same bad guy.

ANGEL
I don’t want him, I just want the key.

MERCEDES
(Regarding him distrustfully.)
And I have no interest in the key. So
apparently we’re not at cross-purposes.

MERCEDES steps closer to SPIKE, and he almost unconsciously slides a hand around her waist. She glances back at ANGEL.

We can work together.

SPIKE grins ruefully at ANGEL, who tries to ignore him.

ANGEL
So where is he?

MERCEDES
You expect me to know?
Angel, I promised you a name, not a location.
After all, the man works for you.
You must know where to find him.

ANGEL
(To Gunn)
Can you scare up an address?

Glances at SPIKE and MERCEDES, who are both standing in a similar stance, both blonde-headed and black coat clad, both regarding him with cool stares from slightly tilted heads. These two look very much like two sides of the same coin.

GUNN
Yeah. We could probably scare up just
about anything...

EXIT GUNN

ANGEL looks back at SPIKE and MERCEDES, who are involved with each other now, and frowns.

ACT III
CUT TO:
14 EXTERIOR – NIGHT

Slum like apartment building next to a small, old warehouse, alley beside it. Lights are on only on the top (third) floor. Car pulls up carrying ANGEL, GUNN, SPIKE, MERCEDES AND WES. They exit the car and look at the building.

WES
Not exactly the style you’d expect when
someone’s sitting on that much money.

GUNN
That’s the idea. I had to track this guy through
a lot of false fronts and third party holdings.

ANGEL
(To Spike)
What do you think?

SPIKE
Send them in through the front, you and I
find a back way in?

ANGEL
(Nodding, then to GUNN)
Wait till you hear us. Don’t try to take them on by yourself.

GUNN nods to ANGEL.
EXIT ANGEL and SPIKE off down the alley beside the building. Mercedes turns to the others.

MERCEDES
You want me to go first?

WES
(Unaccustomed to letting a pretty woman take point)
Uh, yes. Thank you. That would be good.

He turns to look at Gunn, and when he turns back, she’s gone. Wes frowns.

GUNN
How do they do that?

WES
I don’t know, but I’d like to learn. It’s a handy trick.
Come on.

CUT TO:
15 INTERIOR – APARTMENT BUILDING

Staircase on the right. It is appropriately run down. ENTER WES and GUNN. They look around and start climbing the stairs. At the top, MERCEDES signals them to freeze. There’s a tinny radio playing.

CUT TO:
16 EXTERIOR – ALLEYWAY

ANGEL and SPIKE are looking for another way in.

SPIKE
If you don’t trust her, why’d you leave her alone
with the boys?

ANGEL
(Looking up the side of the building, not
really giving Spike his full attention).
I trust her not to eat them now. Not when she’s
this close to Kellerman.

SPIKE
(Jumping a little to pull a fire escape ladder down.)
She wouldn’t anyway. You know that. You know her.

ANGEL
(Annoyed, turning away from the ladder a
moment to face SPIKE.)
Yeah. I know her. And I think you’re forgetting a few
things. Like the fact that she doesn’t have a soul.
Whether you want to believe it or not, it makes
a difference, Spike.

SPIKE
(Doesn’t respond to this – he KNOWS it makes a
difference. He puts an arm across the ladder, blocking Angel’s entry.)
You’re not thinking of staking her? When this is done?

ANGEL
(Looks at him intently before answering.)
No.
(beat.)
The humans she kills....let’s just say
there are worse monsters out there than Mercedes Grey.

Satisfied, SPIKE removes his arm and they climb the fire escape.

CUT TO:
17 INTERIOR – STAIRS.

MERCEDES, WES and GUNN stand immobile on the stairs, listening.

MERCEDES
(whisper)
There’s a Sosoff demon just around the corner in the hall.
Maybe two. Probably in front of the door.

GUNN
How do you know?

Mercedes frowns and does a double-take on Gunn.

Oh, right. Vampire senses.

MERCEDES
I’ll go first, get them busy. You
come in from behind in a minute.

GUNN
You sure you want to do this al—

But she’s already gone.

CUT TO:
18 EXTERIOR – FIRE ESCAPE

ANGEL and SPIKE are at the top. The window before them is lit from inside, the shades drawn, but there are voices. ANGEL motions to another window that is dark, and steps off the fire escape onto a thin ledge and moves toward it. SPIKE follows.

CUT TO:
19 INTERIOR – APARTMENT

Room is slummy – extremely seedy. KELLERMEN sits with his shirt open counting money into two piles while one SOSOFF looks on. Another SOSOFF stands behind him while two SMALLER MEN lounge in chairs beside a television, where something unsavory plays. There are many open boxes of DVDs piled around. KELLERMAN finishes counting and hands the SOSOFF one of the piles. The SOSOFF accepts it and hands back the Key of Camarra, in a leather case.

KELLERMAN
So that was it? All you had to do
was touch him with the blade and he
let you take everything?

SOSOFF
It works just like they said. I didn’t even
have to stick him.

KELLERMAN
But you DID kill him?

SOSOFF
He would have killed himself. But it was more
fun to rip his head off.

KELLERMAN
As long as he’s dead.
(Beat).
Now that we know it works, we can go after the real
targets. I’m gonna enjoy this!

ANGEL
(From off camera)
I wouldn’t count on it.

The DEMONS and KELLERMAN look up. ANGEL and SPIKE are standing in the bedroom doorway.

In fact, I think it’s probably going to hurt.

KELLERMAN steps back and unsheathes the Key of Camarra, holding it with the top of the leather case. The two SOSOFF demons rush ANGEL and SPIKE. They fight.

CUT TO HALLWAY, where MERCEDES is walking up to the two DEMONS guarding Kellerman’s door.

MERCEDES
Hello, boys. I’m here to see
Glyndon...

They hesitate, and she takes advantage of that to hit the first in the stomach and kick the second in the face. They fight. WES and GUNN charge in and fight too.

CUT TO:
20 INTERIOR – APARTMENT

Big fight in progress. When ANGEL is thrown back near the window, KELLERMAN takes the opportunity to sink the key into his shoulder. SPIKE continues to fight, downing one SOSOFF. KELLERMAN is knocked aside and then inches toward the door, flanked by the two SMALLER MEN who want no part of the demon brawl.

SPIKE
(From across the room)
Angel? Angel?

ANGEL doesn’t respond. His face is a mask of unbearable pain. He staggers to his feet in front of the window. SPIKE knocks the SOSOFF down and moves over to him.

SPIKE
What is it? Angel?

The SOSOFF gets to its feet, picks up the table they were counting the money on and charges. The impact of the table catches both ANGEL and SPIKE in front of the window, crashing them though it and outside. They fall through the roof of the warehouse next door amid much crashing wood and splinters.

CUT TO:
21 INTERIOR – WAREHOUSE

SPIKE rolls off ANGEL and staggers up. ANGELl gets as far as his knees.

SPIKE
Bloody hell!

SPIKE picks a big splinter out of his hand and brushes off his duster.

Look at all this wood! We could’ve been
shish-kababbed! Damn Sosoff! I put the bloody thing
down twice, you’d think it’d stay down. Doesn’t...

He trails off, realizing there is something wrong with ANGEL. ANGEL turns his face slowly toward SPIKE. He is crying. The Key still protrudes from his shoulder.

22 CLOSE-UP of his hand, holding a large splinter of wood like a stake.

CUT TO:
23 SPIKE’S face.

SPIKE
Angel?

CUT TO:
24 INTERIOR – HALLWAY.

The fight continues. MERCEDES notices KELLERMAN and the TWO MEN slipping past and heading down the stairs. She finishes her DEMON and follows, leaving WES and GUNN to defeat the last.

CUT BACK TO:
25 INTERIOR – WAREHOUSE

SPIKE is still standing near ANGEL, who remains on his knees, defeated.

ANGEL
It would have been better if it had killed us.
It’s what we deserve.

SPIKE eyes him with concern and crosses the space between them slowly and carefully.

SPIKE
‘S that right? Here I thought we were
fighting the good fight. Saving the innocent.

ANGEL
Are we? Or are we just giving ourselves
a reason to exist? We don’t deserve to....
I don’t deserve to....the things I’ve done.
You want to talk innocent blood? I’m swimming in it.
Drowning in it. You know it’s true. You saw it.

ANGEL raises the stake a little toward his heart. SPIKE moves very carefully, hunkering down beside ANGEL, getting ready. He speaks soothingly.

SPIKE
Yeah, I did. But that was then, this is now.
Back then, the demons were calling the shots.
Now we’ve got some choice in the matter.

ANGEL
I could live a thousand years and never make up for
the things I’ve done.

SPIKE
(Positioning himself)
Yeah, well. Maybe we can do it in bigger pieces,
you know, an apocalypse here, and apocalypse there...

ANGEL
(Staring at him in pain)
We can never be redeemed. Never be forgiven.
We’re like Kellerman, too far gone to hope. You know
what he does? To kids? Do you know what I’ve
done to them?

SPIKE stares, letting him talk.

ANGEL
I started with my littlest sister. She was so young.
So perfect. Six years old. When she came to the door,
she thought I was an angel. And I killed her. And I didn’t
make it an easy death, I...I...

There’s too much pain in the memory to continue. SPIKE looks away a moment, recognizing it, unable to come up with words of comfort.

ANGEL
(sobbing)
She was my sister, and I...I...

CUT TO:
26 EXTERIOR – ALLEYWAY.

KELLERMAN is sneaking away. There is a car parked in a dark side alley with its hood protruding out into the main alley. KELLERMAN and the MEN walk around to the driver’s side and KELLERMAN fumbles with his keys.

MERCEDES comes flying over the hood of the car, catching KELLERMAN in the chest with a side kick. She lands well as he goes down. She easily takes out first one human, then the other, and stands over KELLERMAN while he crawls back from her.

MERCEDES
Going somewhere?

KELLERMAN scrambles to his feet and backs away from her, drawing a knife. MERCEDES looks at it and laughs.

MERCEDES
You do know I’m a vampire?

KELLERMAN’S eyes widen. He didn’t know. He realizes how much trouble he’s in.

KELLERMAN
(shouting)
You’re not going to make ME into a bloodsucker!

MERCEDES
(Cold and hard)
I wouldn’t consider it. Not if you got down on your
hands and knees and begged me for a hundred years.

Realizing the alternative is to be a meal, KELLERMAN staggers to his feet and retreats, sweating, raising his knife. This seems to amuse MERCEDES.

MERCEDES
So tell me, how does it feel to be the victim?

KELLERMAN dives at her and she neatly sidesteps the lunge and disarms him, pinning him to the alley wall with one hand.

How does it feel to be completely in someone else’s
power? Someone who definitely doesn’t have your best
interests at heart?

She rakes a nail across his cheek and watches it bleed with interest.

How does it feel to be in the control of someone who can
hurt you at their whim?

We hear KELLERMAN scream as we:

CUT BACK TO: WAREHOUSE.

27 INTERIOR – WAREHOUSE.

ANGEL has just finished telling SPIKE the story of his sister. SPIKE looks deadly serious, almost pained – it was difficult even for him to hear.

ANGEL
If you were a just and fair God, could you
ever forgive that? Would anything I ever did
after that be enough to earn forgiveness?

ANGEL presses the tip of the stake into his chest and a small blossom of blood appears. SPIKE is very concerned now.

And that’s just one, Spike. Just one person.
I killed more than I can count. How can I
ever be forgiven?

SPIKE looks at the stake, and at ANGEL. He leans in, getting ready.

SPIKE
(Gently)
I don’t know, Angel. I don’t know how much
of it we’ll have to pay for. Probably all, in the
end. But that’s not for us to decide.
(Beat.)
I just know... it isn’t about us anymore.

ANGEL
(Looking at Spike in confusion, pain. Unable to comprehend the words)
Of course it is. We’re still here but they’re all dead.
And we don’t deserve to be here, Spike. We don’t.
We don’t...We don’t...

In a sudden movement, ANGEL raises the stake to use it. SPIKE lunges and catches his arm, and they struggle for it.

CUT TO:
28 INTERIOR – HALLWAY

WES and GUNN finish fighting the Sosoff DEMON. It goes down but this time doesn’t get up, even though both WES and GUNN are primed for it to rise. They are considerably battered.

GUNN
(Looking at the prone DEMON)
I think it’s done.

WES
Finally. What about the other one?

GUNN turns and looks over his shoulder at the other DEMON on the floor.

GUNN
Barely breathing.

WES
(Exhausted, turning)
Where’s Kellerman and his two friends?

GUNN
And Mercedes. I didn’t see any of them leave. You think
they took her?

WES
(Heading for the stairs)
I think it’s more likely that she took them.

EXIT WES. GUNN FOLLOWS.

CUT TO:
29 INTERIOR – WAREHOUSE.

SPIKE and ANGEL are rolling over together on the floor, struggling for possession of the stake. SPIKE, ending up on top, slugs ANGEL and rips the stake out of his hand, throwing it aside. ANGEL begins to weep afresh and SPIKE climbs off and pulls him up to a sitting position by the lapels.

SPIKE
Listen to me...

But ANGEL is too far gone. Growling, SPIKE releases one lapel and grasps the handle of the Key, yanking it out of ANGEL’s shoulder. A look of horror comes over his face and he abruptly releases it, as if it had burned him. It takes him a moment to collect himself, and he fights his way through his emotions to do it.

He grabs ANGEL’s lapels again and shakes him.

SPIKE
Angel! Snap out of it! Listen to me! It’s out.

ANGEL
(Still under the spell.)
It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t change anything.
I’ll find another stake.

Angry, SPIKE punches him across the jaw and shakes him some more.

SPIKE
Now you listen to me, you damn sorry sod!
There will be no staking, do you hear me?

ANGEL
(blinking)
I can’t live with this, Spike. I can’t...

SPIKE hits him again, and there’s a little more ANGEL in Angel’s eyes when his head rolls back.

SPIKE
You selfish prig! Who said this has ANYTHING to do with
you? You were a wastrel as a man and a
a destroyer as a vampire. Now is the
ONLY damn time in your ENTIRE existence that you’ve
ever been ANY use to this world, and you are NOT going to
end that service with another selfish act!

SPIKE gives ANGEL a firm shake. Shouts:

Do you hear me? You are bloody well going to stay here with
the rest of us and fight the bloody fight!

ANGEL’s eyes are clearing as he listens to SPIKE. SPIKE moves to hit him again, but he catches the punch.

ANGEL
Okay.

SPIKE
(Confused, still holding him by the lapel))
Okay?

ANGEL
(Wiping the tears from his face, sitting up more
Pulling his lapels from Spike’s grip)
Okay.

SPIKE
(Sitting back on his heels and eyeing ANGEL)
Okay...

They sit looking at each other.

CUT TO:
30 EXTERIOR – FRONT OF APARTMENT BUILDING.

WES and GUNN come out the front door and approach the car. Wes ducks his head to look inside.

31 CLOSE-UP of WES’s face from the interior of the car.

WES
They’re not here.

ANGEL
(From behind them)
Yes, we are.

Startled, They both jump and WES bangs his head on the car roof.

32 ANGLE ON THE THREE OF THEM.

GUNN
I hate the way you guys do that.

Angel slants him a look, then holds out the Key to WES. He has it gripped in an old rag. WES stops rubbing his head and gingerly accepts it.

WES
The Key?

ANGEL
Yeah. Make sure you don’t touch it with
your bare hand.

WES nods and wraps it carefully, moving to put it in the car.

GUNN
Where’s Kellerman and Mercedes?

ANGEL
I don’t know. (Beat.) That’s probably for the best.

(WES and GUNN get into the car, leaving ANGEL with Spike, who stands looking toward the alley.)

You coming?

SPIKE
No. I’ll catch up to you later.

ANGEL
Listen, Spike, about what I said back there...

Spike turns to face him.

SPIKE
While under the influence?

(Waves a hand in dismissal.)

Forget it.

ANGEL
But—

SPIKE
You’re not the only one with stories to tell, Angel.
Wait till the next time I’m drunk, and I’ll curl your hair
with some of my past uglies.

He looks pointedly at ANGEL’S hair and raises his brows.

ANGEL
(It’s hard to say thank you)
I would’ve used that stake if you hadn’t—

SPIKE
(Brushing it off)
Yeah, well you remember that the next
time I want to use the viper.

NOISE from the alley gets SPIKE’S attention.

I’m gonna check on Mercy.

EXIT SPIKE toward the alley. ANGEL watches him go, then he, WES and GUNN drive off.

CUT TO:
33 EXTERIOR – ALLEY.

Spike comes around the corner and proceeds cautiously down the alley.

34 – CHANGE TO SPIKE’S POV

The alley is mostly dark, but there’s some light on the hood of the car. MERCEDES stands just beyond it, holding something. As SPIKE approaches it becomes clear that it’s KELLERMAN’S body. MERCEDES is still drinking. She pauses and raises her head when SPIKE approaches. She’s in full vamp, bloody-mouthed.

35 – CHANGE TO WIDER ANGLE

SPIKE freezes when the full picture hits him. There’s a small moment of horror, revulsion, giving way to strange fascination. MERCEDES de-vamps and wipes her mouth delicately with a handkerchief, still holding KELLERMAN.

MERCEDES
Spike. Demons taken care of? Did Angel
get the Key?

SPIKE
(Guarded)
Yeah. You could say that. Got it right in the bloody shoulder.

(He thaws a little, but looks away.)
He’s all right though. They all left.

MERCEDES
I’m finished myself.

She’s about to toss the body aside, but pauses and holds it out a little toward SPIKE instead. The wounded neck lolls temptingly. SPIKE stares at it.

Unless you want some. There’s plenty left and
he’s already dead, if that’s an issue...

SPIKE takes an involuntary step forward, then catches himself. Their eyes meet and lock; she wants him in her world. Regretfully, SPIKE breaks the contact.

SPIKE
No, thanks. Not hungry.

MERCEDES
(Softly)
Right , then...

MERCEDES tosses the body aside and walks up to SPIKE. She realizes what just happened and she doesn’t want to hurt him. She loops an arm through his and leads him away from the body, back down the alley.

C’mon. We’ll go back to the hotel.
Have a quiet night. Relax.

SPIKE walks back out of the alley with MERCEDES.

CUT TO:
36 – INTERIOR OF ANGEL’S CAR.

ANGEL is driving, WES in the front with him, GUNN in the back. WES is examining the Key as he holds it with the rag.

WES
And that wound on your shoulder is from the Key?

ANGEL
(Unhappy to discuss it)
That’s right.

WES
But I don’t understand. Contact with the blade is enough
to immobilize most people. Are vampires immune?
Because if they are, we really should—

ANGEL
They’re not.

WES
Then why aren’t you....?

ANGEL
We got it out in time.

WES
We?

ANGEL
(Reluctantly.)
Spike helped.

WES says nothing, just observes him. Angel shifts uncomfortably.

GUNN
Speaking of Spike, did we just leave
him back there?

ANGEL
He went with Mercedes. I don’t think
we’ll be seeing him for a while.

GUNN
Can’t say I blame him.

(Off looks from Angel and Wes)

What? I’m just saying...Woman looks at me
the way that one looks at Spike, I’d take my
time too.

ANGEL
She’s not a woman. She’s a vampire.

GUNN
Yeah, but so is he, so that’s
not a problem. It’s not like she’s going
to bite him or anything. Right?

WES says nothing. He glances at ANGEL, who frowns and looks out the side window.

ACT IV

37 INTERIOR – MERCEDES’ HOTEL ROOM

Pan room, (another scene of hastily removed clothing,) to the bed, occupied by SPIKE and MERCEDES. Some hot and heavy action going on here. Brief montage of some passionate scenes, her touching him with love in her eyes. Then:

MERCEDES
(Gasping with The Moment)
Spike!

He keeps going a little longer to his own release. Then...

SPIKE
(Hoarsely, quietly, and with a groan)
Buffy!

He collapses on top of her, his face buried in her right shoulder, unaware of what he just said. MERCEDES says nothing, and continues to hold him.

38 CLOSE UP of her face, eyes closed, a single tear running from the corner of her eye and catching the light.

CUT TO:
39 INTERIOR – ANGEL’S OFFICE – MORNING

ANGEL sits behind his desk, WES leans nearby, GUNN sits in a chair.

WES
Fred’s running the Key through a series of tests,
then it will be catalogued and sent to the vault.

GUNN
Which is a lot like being thrown into a bottomless pit.

WES
This time that’s a good thing.

ENTER LORNE

LORNE
Knock, knock. I just got word on Kellerman. He won’t be
making anymore movies for us. They found him last night in
the alley after we left.

GUNN
How’d he die?

LORNE
Ah, that would be severe neck trauma.

ANGEL
Mercedes. Looks like she got her man.

WES
Are we just going to ignore the fact that
there’s another vampire killing people in LA?

ANGEL
She doesn’t usually stay in one place long. She’ll
be on the hunt again.

GUNN
I don’t know. If kiddie pornographers are her thing,
there’s a lot of hunting to be done in this town. And she does
seem pretty set on Spike.

ANGEL
(Frowning)
She always did have a thing for Spike...

CUT TO:
40 EXTERIOR – LA Overview, day passing, sun setting.

CUT TO:
41 INTERIOR, MERCEDES’ HOTEL ROOM – JUST AFTER SUNSET

MERCEDES moves back and forth in front of the camera, but we can’t quite see what she’s doing. There’s a KNOCK at her door. She opens it and SPIKE stands there grinning.

MERCEDES
(A little breathless at first, happy to see him, then suddenly cool)
Come in. I was just going to come looking for you.

SPIKE strides in.

SPIKE
Miss me?

Instead of stepping into his arms as he expects, MERCEDES moves away and picks up a shirt on the bed, folding it and putting it in a travel bag.

MERCEDES
I...I wanted so say goodbye, or
at least so long, before I left.

SPIKE stands very still, his expression hardening, face closed.

SPIKE
Before you left? Exactly where is it you’re
going?

MERCEDES continues to put her clothing in the bag as she talks.

MERCEDES
Back to New York. There are a few of Kellerman’s
associates there that I need to take care of.

SPIKE
(Coolly)
And afterward? Are you coming back to LA?

She stops folding, stands still.

MERCEDES
No.
(Beat.)
At least not for a while.

SPIKE
I see.
(Beat.)
I thought it was different this time, Mercy.

She looks down sadly.

MERCEDES
(Softly)
It was. It is.

SPIKE moves quickly, grabbing her by the shoulders and forcing her to turn to face him. She doesn’t resist.

SPIKE
Then why?

Her eyes fill with tears and she blinks them away.

MERCEDES
It’s because it’s different. Because you’re different.
(Beat)
There are things you need to resolve....in here.

(She puts a hand over his heart.)

About the Slayer. About who you really are now. How you
fit in to the world. And me, I’m just confusing things.

She shakes her head a little and turns away from him.

SPIKE
Funny. The only thing that’s really
confusing me is why you’re leaving.

MERCEDES bites her lip, then turns back to face him, a little defiant.

MERCEDES
I’m no good for you now, Spike! We both know it.
I don’t have a soul, and if I stay, I’ll just pull you back
into the dark with me.
(Beat)
Maybe later....when you’ve figured it all out...

SPIKE says nothing, but his expression has gone from hard to comprehending and sad.

Spike, you aren’t really losing anything here.

(As a statement of fact:)

I love you. I always have, I always will.

(Beat.)

You and I, we can burn the bed down at night
and still be friends in the morning,
but your heart... it needs to heal, or find some
kind of resolution, and it won’t do that with me here.

(She touches his face tenderly.)

You have a soul now. You have a real chance
to become something good for this world. Maybe
even a shot at redemption. But you’re not sure of the
way yet, and until you are, you can’t be around me.

(Laughs a little, sadly.)

Because you can be pretty sure that the path
I’m on is dark and not the right way for you.

(She trails the hand down his shoulder and arm, wanting to touch him more but refraining.)

So I’m going to do you a favor and go
back to New York. I do have things to do
there, after all....

(Tears start to fall, and SPIKE wipes them gently away with his thumbs. He understands.)

And you take care of that shiny new soul.

SPIKE pulls her into his arms.

SPIKE
Not so shiny any more, actually.

She pulls back to look into his eyes. She’s very serious.

MERCEDES
They all get battered, one way or another.
(Beat)
But you have the soul of a hero, Spike. It can take it,
and it can find a way home.

(She tries to smile.)

Come on now, kiss me goodbye or I’ll miss
my train.

SPIKE
Mercy—

She doesn’t let him speak. She throws her arms around him and kisses him. He gives into it, gathering her against him, and it turns from a yielding to passion. She breaks away first, smiling and wiping her eyes.

MERCEDES
Now that’s more like it.

She gives him one last, long look, then picks up her coat and the duffle bag from the bed, slinging it over one shoulder. She pauses at the door. SPIKE doesn’t move.

MERCEDES
You ever need me, you know
how to find me.

SPIKE
Take care of yourself, Mercy.

Her eyes are still wet but she flips him a careless grin over her shoulder.

MERCEDES
Always do.