Faith says goodbye to Angel. Lindsey drops her off in Sunnydale, creating quite a ruckus, not to mention more than a little jealousy.
It's 6:30, Sunday morning. The sun is coming up. Connor, who's showered and dressed, runs into Angel's bedroom and turns the lights on. A bleary-eyed Angel sits up.
ANGEL: Connor! Is something wrong?
CONNOR: No. Everything's cool.
ANGEL: Then why did you wake me up?
CONNOR: I'm going over to my place to pick up the rest of my stuff so I can move it over here.
ANGEL: You're moving in?
CONNOR: I told you that yesterday. Is it okay?
ANGEL: Sure. Of course. I just forgot. Yesterday seems so long ago.
CONNOR: Can you give me a lift?
ANGEL: Do you know what time it is?
CONNOR: You're right. I'm sorry. Forgot the sun was out. Can I have your keys?
Angel's not quite sure if he's having a surrealistic dream. After all, there's nothing more surreal than Connor acting like a normal teenager. That only drives home the absurdity of his request.
ANGEL: The keys to my car? You don't even know how to drive!
CONNOR: I can learn. How hard can it be?
ANGEL: Don't touch my car. Ever. Unless I'm with you. It's a stick shift. You'd wreck the transmission. And if you thought I was mad after you locked me in that box . . .
CONNOR: Can you teach me to drive?
ANGEL: Sure. When it's dark and I've had some rest.
CONNOR: Cool.
Connor turns off the light and leaves the room. Angel plops back down and tries to go back to sleep. He's happy that Connor wants to live with him and no longer acts like he hates his daddy's guts. But a nagging voice in the back of Angel's mind tells him it has to be some sort of trick. After all, this is Connor.
Several of the Potentials are in the upstairs hallway, waiting to shower. Fadila and Ariella start yelling at each other. The argument becomes very heated. Ariella yells a few things in Hebrew and Yiddish, and Fadila tosses out a couple phrases in Arabic. Giles steps between them. Buffy runs upstairs to see what the problem is.
BUFFY: Look, I know it's a pain, but we all have to wait.
Giles by now has separated the two of them. They storm off.
BUFFY: Crowded house starting to get on their nerves?
GILES: I think it's a bit more complicated than that.
BUFFY: Is there some personal stuff between them I should know about?
GILES: The problem is, it's not personal at all.
BUFFY: I'm not following.
GILES: Let me explain. [Giles and Buffy walk into her room] Buffy, you know that Ariella is from Israel.
BUFFY: I vaguely remember hearing something about where she came from. What does that have to do with anything?
GILES: Fadila is Palestinian.
BUFFY: What? I thought she was from Michigan.
GILES: She is. Her father's on the Dearborn city council. But her grandfather was from Haifa. The family's house was seized during the 1948 war.
BUFFY: Seized by who?
Giles groans.
GILES: The Israelis.
BUFFY: Oh. So she blames Ariella for that?
GILES: Not personally.
BUFFY: Then why the bad blood?
GILES: [sighs] Sometimes I regret causing you to miss so many classes. Fadila's people and Ariella's people have been at each other's throats since before I was born. Naturally, the two of them have some differences of opinion, to put it mildly. If think heard them talking about Abraham, who is supposed to have lived in Hebron, where Ariella lives. Things started off friendly enough. Ibrahim's something they have in common. But before I knew it, they were debating the Right of Return. Things soon spiraled out of control. Ariella said Muhammad never went to Jerusalem. Fadila shot back that David and Solomon never existed. By then, tempers were hot on both sides.
BUFFY: Is this something I can fix?
Giles ponders this naive question for a moment.
GILES: Buffy, I believe solving this problem is beyond even your powers. [pauses and realizes that wasn't what she was asking] However, talking to each of them would be very helpful. For our particular situation.
BUFFY: What other situation is there?
Buffy goes downstairs. Ariella is sitting in the living room. Buffy decides to play peacemaker.
BUFFY: Hey.
ARIELLA: Hey.
BUFFY: So you and Fadila were arguing?
ARIELLA: Yeah.
BUFFY: Look. I know that your people and her people don't get along, but we're all in this together. You're both Slayers. You've been Chosen to fight against the ultimate evil. And that bond is stronger than anything that could divide you.
ARIELLA: Okay.
BUFFY: Okay?
ARIELLA: You're right.
BUFFY: Oh. Thanks. Huh?
ARIELLA: I already knew that. Why did you give me that speech? Not that it wasn't a nice speech. [Buffy smiles. She's done so much speechifying, yet received so few compliments.] Did Giles freak out about our little argument?
BUFFY: Little? You two looked like you were about to throw punches.
ARIELLA: Please. I've had uglier arguments with members of my own family. We were just having a debate. Didn't you ever have passionate political debates in your house? Or, I don't know, at school? Or with you friends?
BUFFY: No.
ARIELLA: Sorry. I forgot you have other priorities, being the Slayer and living on the Hellmouth and all.
BUFFY: Right . . . I'm sure if that wasn't the case me and my friends would, you know, probably care about the world. [Buffy's old fear that she'd be shallow if she weren't a Slayer resurfaces] So everything's okay with you and Fadila?
ARIELLA: Yeah. I'm glad she's here. I wish more Palestinians would come to America.
BUFFY: Thanks for sorting things out for me, Ella. Sometimes Giles can be a little alarmist.
ARIELLA: That's his job, right?
BUFFY: Someone's gotta do it.
ARIELLA: Plus, he's the only adult.
BUFFY: I'm an adult! My friends are adults. Giles is the only . . . elder.
ARIELLA: The patriarch. [smirks, since she knows Buffy's the one with the actual decision-making power]
Having proven the mountain to be a molehill, Buffy walks into the kitchen, where Fadila is looking through the Sunday Sunnydale Times and Anya is eating breakfast.
BUFFY: Morning, Fadila.
FADILA: Hey. Weird night, huh?
BUFFY: You have no idea. I just wanted to make sure you and Ella were getting along.
FADILA: You mean what happened upstairs? Just a clash of cultures.
BUFFY: No. There is no clash. Not in my house. You're both Slayers.
FADILA: I meant between us and Giles. He's English. Quiet and reserved. Not used to people raising their voices. He couldn't tell the difference between fighting words and fighting.
BUFFY: They do tend to go together around here.
FADILA: Ella's cool. Sure, her politics are really naive. Like how she doesn't understand that action have reactions. But, you know, that's not her fault. She probably gets it from her parents, so I don't hold it against her.
BUFFY: I'm not saying that all of you have to be friends. I just need to know that in a battle, you'll work together.
FADILA: We are friends. I mean, Next to Zora, Ella's the one I'm closest to. I'm glad she's here in America. I think more Israelis should come here.
BUFFY: That's funny. She said the same thing about your people.
FADILA: [laughs] That doesn't surprise me.
ANYA: You shouldn't be mad at Ella's people. They took over your country and kicked your people out. Now your people have to go to some other country and kick those people out. That's how things have always been.
FADILA: You mean ever since you became a Vengeance Demon back in, like, the Dark Ages?
ANYA: I hate when people call it that. It's not like were savages. Sure, there was the annual virgin sacrifice to ensure the Spring planting. But that got rid of the stuck-up popular girls who thought they were better than me because they didn't put out. Boy, were there faces red when they got their comeuppance.
Lindsey and Faith sit in the back of a limo. They are heading over to the Hyperion to say goodbye to Angel before leaving for Sunnydale.
FAITH: Last night, did I say "I love you"?
LINDSEY: I think I remember you saying that. You don't?
FAITH: It was . . . during, right?
LINDSEY: Yeah.
FAITH: You say a lotta stuff . . . you know —
LINDSEY: So you didn't mean it?
FAITH: Probably not then. But I mean it now. Hell. I do love you, Lindsey. [he smiles. she looks down at the floor and seems embarrassed] Damn. Never said that before. Feels pretty lame. But real. And now, right when I say that, I gotta split. Just my luck.
LINDSEY: I don't need to be back until tomorrow morning.
FAITH: I'd feel bad about keeping B waiting. You know how much she misses me. [laughs]
LINDSEY: Admit it. Now that your work's done here, you want to go where you're needed. Where you can help people.
FAITH: Please. You make it sound like I have a choice.
LINDSEY: Well, don't you? You could bail and not help her. Or anyone else. You're a free woman.
FAITH: When you get super powers, you get lots of enemies. I kill them, they don't get to kill other people. It's a package deal.
LINDSEY: I get it. You're no longer too cool to admit you love me, but you're still too cool to admit you like making the world a better place. On second thought, it does sound really lame when I put it that way.
FAITH: Wicked lame.
LINDSEY: Funny thing is, you're not cool.
FAITH: This how it works? Tell a guy you love him, he stops trying?
LINDSEY: You're hot.
FAITH: Getting better. But I always thought I was both.
LINDSEY: You're too intense to be cool. You make everything, everyone around you come to life. After being around you long enough, anything seems possible. How else do you think I could've fought all those vampires yesterday?
FAITH: Nothin' ya hadn't done before, right?
LINDSEY: Never one-on-one, to the death. To say nothing of a series of one-on-ones. I'm a lawyer. I'm used to delegating my demon-killing.
FAITH: I just meant you seemed like ya knew what you were doing.
LINDSEY: That's nice of you to say.
FAITH: Guess I ain't the only one who's pushing the fake modesty.
LINDSEY: I'm no tough guy. Just have good survival instincts.
FAITH: Something we got in common.
LINDSEY: Except I'm nowhere near as strong as you.
FAITH: Like that needed saying.
LINDSEY: I'm not talking about the Slayer Strength. That's just borrowed hand-me-down power you got from someone else. It's not what makes you incredible. You think any other Slayer — you think Buffy — would still be around if she had to go through what you've had to go through? I don't know her, so I can't say, but I doubt it. The pain's a lot easier to take when you know there are people around who'll miss you if you give up.
FAITH: But there are. Aren't there?
Faith smiles. Lindsey and her move their heads towards each other. They are about to kiss when the limo stops. Faith looks out the window.
FAITH: Looks like we're here.
Faith smiles and stares at him for a few seconds before getting out of the car and walking into the Hyperion. Angel is trying to organize his office. He has the door open. Faith and Lindsey enter, holding hands. Angel turns his head and sees them.
ANGEL: Wasn't expecting visitors. Not that I mind.
FAITH: Wanted to say so long before heading off to Sunnydale.
LINDSEY: You've healed pretty quickly.
FAITH: Lot faster than me. Not a scratch on ya.
ANGEL: It's a long story. How are you doing? I know you both took a lot of punishment, yesterday. [of course, for Angel, it wasn't yesterday]
FAITH: It's good to have you back.
ANGEL: Thanks for everything, Faith. It means a lot when someone tries to save you and doesn't give up, even when you're trying to kill them.
FAITH: Just returning the favor.
LINDSEY: I'll let you two catch up. [exits the room. Angel and Faith stand in silence for a few seconds]
ANGEL: So you're with, Lindsey.
FAITH: Finally found a guy I could nail who wasn't a loser.
ANGEL: Plus, he's no longer evil. He is, right? He's been known to fence-sit in the past.
FAITH: Lindsey's jumped that fence and landed on our side. Or, your side. Since you've been good a lot longer than I have. Actually, you haven't. [smirks] Seems like only yesterday you and Crazy Spice were trying to eat us for brunch.
ANGEL: Good thing you were there to protect my friends.
FAITH: Couldn'ta done it on my own. Can't forget about Lindsey and Kel.
ANGEL: No, I'd rather forget about her. As for Lindsey, he's lucky to have you. In my opinion, he doesn't even deserve you.
FAITH: Thanks "dad." Is this what's always gonna happen when I bring a new boy home? [Angel shudders, not noticing that Faith's tongue-in-cheek delivery means she's joking. Well, half-joking.] If anything, I don't deserve him.
ANGEL: Don't say that. You're a beautiful, powerful, heroic young woman with an incredible heart and, oh god, I really am sounding paternal.
FAITH: You finally noticed that. [she laughs]
ANGEL: So. [pauses to recover from Faith's insight] Off to Sunnydale.
FAITH: The baddies gunning after Buffy have started gunning after me. Figure there's safety in numbers.
ANGEL: How are you doing? You know, with the guilt, the pain, all that baggage we have in common.
FAITH: It's a lot easier to carry now that I'm out and helping people. Now I understand why you always gotta keep fighting.
ANGEL: For us, it never stops. It can't.
FAITH: Wouldn't it be nice if, just once, we could bond without it being a bummer?
They both laugh.
ANGEL: Take care, Faith.
FAITH: You too. Good luck with your kid. Put in a good word or two bout you. So did Lindsey. Maybe something stuck.
ANGEL: Lindsey talked to Connor about me? [looks alarmed] About Darla!?
FAITH: Angel, chill. It was all good. Connor wasn't freaked. He's heard of freakier love triangles. Hell, he's BEEN in freakier love triangles.
ANGEL: Thanks for reminding me. And also, thanks for talking to Connor, setting him straight.
FAITH: The first was sarcastic, the second was serious, right? [laughs] Later. Got a date with a Hellmouth.
She walks out of the office. Angel basks in the glow of a soul he helped redeem. Reminds him of what makes his arduous job rewarding. When Faith opens the door, Angel sees Lindsey. He thinks it would be rude to let his old nemesis leave without saying a word. Angel pops his head out into the lobby.
ANGEL: Lindsey. Can we talk? Just a moment.
LINDSEY: Sure. Be right back. [kisses Faith, walks into Angel's office]
ANGEL: So. You've changed.
LINDSEY: So have you.
ANGEL: No. Same old me. It's just everything around me that's changed.
LINDSEY: And everyone.
ANGEL: Especially that.
LINDSEY: When Darla went, and she took her life so Connor could be born, she was happy, wasn't she? Cause, I from what I knew about her I imagine that must have been the only truly happy moment of her whole life.
ANGEL: It was. She said Connor was the one could thing we ever did together. Get choked up just talking about it.
LINDSEY: Me too. And I wasn't even there.
ANGEL: I think it would be good to change the subject.
LINDSEY: Nothing worse than two guys crying together. Especially if they're old enemies.
ANGEL: So you're on the up-and-up. A do-gooder.
LINDSEY: I try to be.
ANGEL: And yet you're also rich. I know how hard it is to be both.
LINDSEY: One of the perks of a higher education.
ANGEL: I forgot. You have that law degree. Unlike Faith, who's, what, a high school dropout?
LINDSEY: What does that mean?
ANGEL: Nothing. I just didn't know she was your type.
LINDSEY: We've never pulled punches before. Tell me what you really think.
ANGEL: Faith thinks you're a decent guy. She seems to think you care about her. I just hope, for her sake, that you don't prove her wrong.
Lindsey hits Angel's left eye with a right hook. He looks furious, smoldering with anger, but still under control.
LINDSEY: How dare you.
Angel gets over his shock and outrage. He looks into Lindsey's eyes, trying to read his emotions.
ANGEL: You love her.
LINDSEY: And you're a slow learner.
ANGEL: Just testing. To be honest, I wasn't sure if you were over Darla.
LINDSEY: I am. Though it took me a lot longer than you.
Angel is tempted to slug Lindsey, but decides to take the high road. It doesn't occur to Angel that Lindsey's cheap shot told the truth.
ANGEL: I see we're already reverting to form.
LINDSEY: Old habits die hard.
Lindsey rejoins Faith in the lobby. Connor walks by, carrying several boxes. He drops them to say goodbye.
FAITH: You moving in?
CONNOR: Yeah. You heading out?
FAITH: Yeah.
CONNOR: Tell Dawn I miss her.
LINDSEY: I don't think that was ever in doubt. [Connor smiles]
CONNOR: Thanks for everything. Both of you.
FAITH: Just paying your dad back.
LINDSEY: In a good way. [Connor smiles again at Lindsey's joke. Angel feels a little jealous of Connor's affections for Lindsey] Maybe you can do the same.
Lindsey and Faith head out. As much as Angel wants Connor to like him, he would hate it if Connor liked him because his son trusts Lindsey. Especially when it's not clear if Connor trusts Angel. Connor picks up his boxes and continues moving in. Lorne goes over to talk to Angel.
LORNE: I drove him over to his old place to pick up his knick-knacks.
ANGEL: He asked you to help him?
LORNE: Asked isn't the word I'd use. It implies choice. When Connor pulls me out of bed and tells me to help him, I don't say no.
ANGEL: You're still scared of him? He's changed.
LORNE: I know that Connor's changed. But Connor's even scarier when he's nice. I asked him to sing a few bars at one point, just to be safe. The boy does have a history of playing possum. But he's the real McCoy. It's like someone's taken over his body.
ANGEL: Connor's always been a good kid. He just had to dig out from all that crap Holtz buried him under.
LORNE: Love does has a way of changing people.
ANGEL: Love? You mean Dawn? That's not the reason.
LORNE: That's the only reason.
ANGEL: Maybe it's one of the reasons. But it's bigger than that. Now that he's seen my dark side, Connor knows that I'm nothing like Angelus. He understands who I really am.
LORNE: Because now he sees clearly. Because of her. You of all people should know how much meeting the right girl can change a man's outlook on life. Sure Quemosabe, it would've been better if it was a different girl. But how often do things go the way you want them to?
Things are pretty mellow at the Summers house. But the tranquility is abruptly disturbed by an enormous roar that gets louder and louder. Dawn looks out the bay window. Leaves and dirt are blowing all around. Xander opens the door and is knocked backward by an enormous gust of wind.
DAWN: Close it!
BUFFY: Everyone get back!
Everyone moves away from the windows. Buffy goes for her weapons. In the basement, Spike wakes up and puts his hands over his ears in agony. It's like someone put a jackhammer to his eardrums.
SPIKE: What the bloody hell!
Spike runs upstairs. Willow looks out the window in the dining room.
WILLOW: Guys, it's okay. It's a helicopter.
Xander opens the door again. Giles stands next to him.
XANDER: Why is a helicopter landing on the street?
Buffy, Dawn, Spike and everyone else rushes into the hallway to get a look. The chopper touches down. Lindsey and Faith get out. Buffy, Xander, Willow and Giles are dumbfounded.
XANDER: What the —
WILLOW: She said she'd be dropping by today.
BUFFY: I don't believe this.
MOLLY: Is that LIndsey?
ANYA: It is!
RONA: Who's that woman Lindsey's with?
BUFFY: I don't believe this.
SPIKE: Bloody show-off.
BUFFY: You can't just land a helicopter in the middle of the street. People could walk or drive into the spinny things. It's dangerous. Its selfish. Reckless.
XANDER: Same old Faith.
The rotors slow down as Faith and Lindsey walk up onto the porch. She's wearing jeans and a long-sleeve black t-shirt. He's wearing jeans, a white Oxford and sunglasses.
FAITH: Hey B. Long time no see.
BUFFY: Sorry if we forgot to put the helipad out today.
LINDSEY: It was the quickest way.
SPIKE: Shades on a cloudy day. Nursing a hangover?
Lindsey takes off the shades fora second to show the bruises.
LINDSEY: Had a few fights with a few vampires yesterday. Good thing I don't have to be in court for a week.
GILES: In court. For what sort of case, if I may ask?
LINDSEY: Capital murder.
ANYA: You're putting a guilty man to death? I used to do the same thing!
LINDSEY: Actually, I'm defending him.
SPIKE: Springing murderers free. How noble.
LINDSEY: My client's innocent.
ANYA: Of course he is. That's what he's paying you to say.
LINDSEY: He's paying me nothing. I took the case pro bono.
ANYA: Why on earth would you do that?
DAWN: So you are working to save an innocent man's life.
KENNEDY: How noble.
SPIKE: Oh, cum on!!
LINDSEY: So this is goodbye.
FAITH: Guess so.
They kiss for about twenty seconds. Neither's eager to let go, especially not Faith. Buffy's completely grossed out. The Potentials are sighing and swooning. Knowing that no one is in danger, Spike walks downstairs and goes back to sleep. He has no interest in standing around watching others be the center of attention. After the rotors start spinning again. Lindsey runs back to the helicopter and gets in. The chopper flies away. Faith walks into the living room and drops down her duffel bag. She looks at the assembled crowd.
FAITH: So you must be the Potential Slayers.
ROSE: Lindsey fought vampires with you?
FAITH: Side-by-side. He held his own.
MOLLY: That is so romantic.
AMANDA: And courageous. He risks his life, but he doesn't even have super powers. Lindsey is so brave.
XANDER: Hello!! Whadya think I've been doing since, like, forever?
FAITH: Hey Will. You've healed wicked fast.
WILLOW: Magic. [Willow and Kennedy look at each other and smile]
FAITH: Angel was the same way. Hmmn. I'm still on the mend.
She pulls up her shirt so they can see her bandaged stomach wound.
BUFFY: I had one of those once. Impaled with your own stake?
FAITH: Connor's. He feels real bad about it.
Dawn gives Faith a quick hug, stunning both Faith and Buffy.
DAWN: Thanks for, you know, saving his life. Connor told be about that.
FAITH: No sweat, Dawny. You really have grown. Are you taller than me?
DAWN: Of course, this doesn't mean I'm still not mad at you for, well, everything else you've done.
FAITH: Fair enough. Course, from what I hear, I've never been mean to you. We just think I have. Besides, people change. The Dawny Connor goes on and on about ain't nothin' like the one I knew.
DAWN: Connor's talked to you about me? [looks worried] What did he say?
FAITH: Relax kid. That boy practically worships the ground you walk on. Ya got him whipped something fierce. Men in that family seem to like it that way.
BUFFY: You and Connor are friends?
FAITH: We hung out with him. Me and Lindsey. Connor's cool. Like a kid brother or something.
Buffy wisely decides not to pursue this analogy.
AMANDA: Um, Faith, could you, ugh, tell us about what Lindsey's like.
ROSE: [smiles] Yeah. Could you?
ANDREW: Please. We'd really like to know more about him.
Faith looks at Andrew, not precisely sure who he is or why he's here.
FAITH: Maybe later. I should discuss business first. So B, what's up with the enemy?
BUFFY: We have those Reapers to deal with.
FAITH: Right. Swords and suits. I took out one. How many are left?
GILES: Nineteen. Or so we think.
FAITH: Oh. But hey, me and B have faced worse odds. Or, similarly long odds. But once we slice-and-dice,that's it, right?
DAWN: No. That's just the beginning.
FAITH: Damn. Always a catch in this town.
GILES: The Reapers are supposed to prepare the ground for what's to come.
WILLOW: The Big, Big Bad. We don't know what it is, yet.
ANYA: Basically, we know have no clue what's going to try to kill you. Sorry.
FAITH: So you're the blunt one. Guess the Scoobies found someone to take Cordelia's place.
Anya's more used to dishing it out than she is to taking it, so Faith's off-handed diss catches her by surprise.
GILES: In the meantime, we hope to isolate and kill as many Reapers as possible.
WILLOW: I'm going to —
DAWN: Ahem.
WILLOW: I mean, Dawny and I are going to perform a locator spell to find our enemies.
FAITH: Sounds like a plan. Means we got some time to kill. Guess I should go meet the newbies.
Faith goes into the front half of the living room where the Potentials are.
MOLLY: So what's Lindsey like?
Faith chuckles and looks at all the eager teenage girls hanging on her every word. Buffy, Willow, Anya, Xander, Giles and Dawn walk into the kitchen. As usual, Faith's made a good first impression at Buffy's expense. She needs to have a little pouting time.
BUFFY: Look at her. Playing "My Boyfriend is Hotter than Your Boyfriend." Well, he's not.
WILLOW: Buffy, you don't have a boyfriend.
BUFFY: I know. But if I did, he'd be hotter.
ANYA: Technically, wouldn't he be colder?
