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Dana is in a break room in the harbor. The torn pieces of her hospital gown lay on the floor. She found an checkered flannel shirt and a pair of jeans in a locker. Even with the cloth rolled to the wrists and ankles, she looks like a child that's wearing her father's work clothes.

She sees a can of ground coffee beans on the counter. She remembers that some of her mothers and fathers used it to stay awake. She opens it, and at first thinks, "Brown makes you sleepy". But she trusts her memories, clutches the brown grain and eats it.

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[Scene begins the near the end of "Deep Down". The following section in italics is just a slight variation of the script found at a site called Buffy World. The script is prosified, Cordelia is added, dialogue about her missing has been removed, and the descriptions of action are streamlined when thought necessary. When nothing is changed a * will end the sentence. No need for me to embellish this great scene if you've seen it already, and if you haven't, minimize this page and watch it.]

Wesley says, "He'll need more blood. I'm fresh out," and walks out of the hotel. On the couch Angel groans. His skin is covered in cracked sores, the residue of silt drapes him like tattered cloth.

Fred says, "It's okay. God, he's freezing."

Then Gunn, "I'll get some more blankets."

Cordelia sits and holds Angel, saying, "Angel? You're going to be ok, you're going to be ok."

As Gunn turns to go, he stops at the sound of a chair toppling in the office.

Fred shouts, "Connor!"

Cordelia stays guarding Angel while Gunn and Fred run for the office. Connor is waiting for them and easily tosses Gunn to the side. Fred tries to tazer him, but he grabs it and uses it against her. She screams then falls to the floor. Connor turns only to find Angel standing in the doorway.

Angel says, "Sit down."

Connor backs up a little never taking his eyes off Angel.*

Connor replies, "You're too weak to take me."

"You really think that?"

Connor looks at Angel for another moment, then turns, picks up the chair, slams it down on the floor, and sits facing Angel. Gunn begins to stir and sit up. Angel lowers himself into a chair across from Connor with a slight sigh.*

Angel continues, "So, how was your summer? Mine was fun. Saw some fish. Went mad with hunger. Hallucinated a whole bunch."

Gunn quietly helps Fred back to her feet. Connor's eyes never leave Angel.*

"You deserved worse."

"Because I killed Holtz, except I didn't. I tried telling you that while you were busy offshore dumping me, but I didn't know the whole score. Holtz killed himself. Actually, he had your buddy Justine do it with an ice pick. Just to make you hate me."

Connor after a beat, "Even if... you still deserved it."

"What I deserve is open to debate. But understand there is a difference between wishing vengeance on someone and taking it. So now, the questions becomes: what do you deserve?"

Connor suddenly jumps up from his chair and runs for the door, but Angel intercepts him, tossing him against the wall, and calmly says, "Daddy's not finished talking."

Angel crouches down next to where Connor sits, scrunched up against the wall.*

"Wesley told me everything that's been going on. What you did to me was unbelievable, Connor. But then I got stuck in a hell dimension by my girlfriend one time for a hundred years, so three months under the ocean actually gave me perspective. Kind of a M. C. Esher perspective, but I did get time to think. About us, about the world. Nothing in the world is the way it ought to be. It's harsh, and cruel. But that's why there's us. Champions. It doesn't matter where we come from, what we've done or suffered, or even if we make a difference. We live as though the world was what it should be, to show it what it can be. You're not a part of that yet. I hope you will be. " Angel moves closer to his son and says, "I love you, Connor. Now get out of my house."

Connor leaves and Angel lets out a slight sigh as he hears the lobby doors close. He sways on his feet then leans against the wall. Cordelia cries, "Angel!", and she, Fred, and Gunn rush over to him. Cordelia offers to help him stand, but he refuses.

Angel says, "All that talking really takes it out of you."

Cordelia says, "You need rest."

"I've been in a steel coffin for three months. The last thing I need right now is rest." Angel turns and looks at them with hunger in his eyes, then looks away ashamed.

Gunn ask, "You ok, man?"

Angel quickly staggers past them to the lobby kitchen. The others are uncertain with how to act. Cordelia slowly follows him, while Gunn and Fred watch on.

After Angel enters the kitchen, he opens the refrigerator, takes out a large container of pig's blood, and drinks it in large gulps. His face changes, fangs scrape the lip of the container. Cordelia watches his back from the door with unwanted disgust. It has been three years, and the sight of him drinking blood, even in small sips, still makes her nauseous. But this time she makes it her purpose to watch him. He drains the container, tries to steady himself, then falls over the nearby table top. The empty container rolls off the table to the floor, there's a slight trace of red in the roll. Cordelia rushes to help, place both hand on his back.

A roar erupts from his chest, she can feel the pulse through her hands up her arms. At the same time Angel yells, "Don't touch me!" and Cordelia gives a cry and steps back. He then drops himself on a chair. She first notices that his face has changed and red rims his mouth. She steps back even more.

Yellow eyes look at her and are immediately shaded with guilt. "I'm sorry," he says.

In a shuddering voice she replies, "It's ok. I wasn't thinking."

"No..." He closes his eyes and asks, "C-can you get me the other container, please?"

"Sure."

She retrieves the last container of blood from the refrigerator, uncaps it, then hands it to Angel. He makes it a point to calmly take it from her. However, when he attempts to take only a small sip, his urge overcomes his manners and he swallows the contents in seconds.

After he places the container on the table, Cordelia notices a drop of blood gathers on his chin and then fall on the floor. She goes to the counter top, tears off a sheet of paper towel and hands it to him, then asks, "Is that enough?"

He answers, "For now," even though he is still starving. He takes the paper towel gratefully and begins to wipe the blood off, but stops with a painful wince when he scrubs one of the cracked sores on his face.

Cordelia says, "I'll get the first aid kit." He knows the kit is useless, but doesn't stop her because he wants her to think she can help him in the normal ways, and he wants her close. He has been alone for three months, and he misses her terribly.

She retrieves the kit from a cabinet, sits down in front of him, and opens the kit. She looks at his face and says, "Um, I know I should be used to it by now, but could you change your face back?"

"Sorry, I didn't even notice." Besides being embarrassed over his form and hunger, he feels loss for another moment in an ice rink. Then the feeling is gone. He forces his human face to return.

The sight of his usual face brings tears to Cordelia's eyes. "Angel, I'm so glad you're back. I was scared that I'd never see you again." She wipes a tear trail from her cheek and tries to compose herself.

"I missed you too, Cordy."

"I, uh, I know you probably don't want to hear me spout right now."

"I'd gladly listen to anything you've got to say, as long as it has nothing to do with water."

They share a sincere smile. As she places a bandage on his cheek, he feels the warmth of her fingers, so unlike cold steel and salt water. He reaches up with one hand to hold one of hers. They have a moment of silence, only the eyes talk. Then Angel notices Gunn and Fred at the door way.

He says, "Hey guys, I missed you both too, but can we have a moment."

They respectively say ,"Oh, yeah," and ,"Sorry," then they leave.

Gunn says to Fred, "Hey, I saw that Connor got you with the tazer."

Fred replies, "Oh, it's nothing. I'm fine."

"Come on, let me have a look at it." He leads her to another room.

Back in the kitchen, Angel looks to Cordelia again. Unable to regain the moment he says, "Hey, you're a brunette again."

And she was, her hair had grown back to the reaches of her neck and it was a deep brown.

Almost reflexively, she places a strand of hair behind her ear, and says with a slight smirk, "Yeah, I liked it at first, but I had to admit that it started looking like my head was made of plastic."

Knowing not to agree but still compliment, he only says, "I like it better this way."

"Thank you."

Assured of some privacy, she hold his hand. He winces as one of her fingers presses the sore on the back of that hand.

She pulls back and says, "Oh God, they're all over you!"

"Yeah, mostly where the steel cables were. It shouldn't take me long to heal though. In a day or two I'll be fine."

"I can't believe that little bastard did this to you."

"Interesting choice of words."

"That son of a bitch then. Angel, what he did was unforgivable. And then he just watched us, no, he "helped" us look for you week after week, acting like he cared."

"I've been through worse." Angel looks at the floor and then confesses, "I've done worse. In someways he was right; I did deserve it."

"What!? Look, I understand you're probably not very lucid right now, but don't you go on a guilt trip. First off, it doesn't matter what he thinks anymore. He left you down there to rot forever. You did not deserve that. Listen to me, hell, listen to yourself. You're a champion, Angel."

He looks back up. "If I'm such a worthy champion, how come the Powers never sent you a vision of where I was?"

She sits back, tears well again. "I don't know, and I asked and prayed for that every day. But all that stuff you said to him."

"I can't let him think that this world has to be like this."

"So, all that stuff about being a champion, do you even believe what you said?"

He pauses. "I don't know. It's... it's not about what I think is true, it's about what needs to be right. Other wise..." He looks away for a moment and says, "Connor isn't ready for that yet. Sometimes, I'm not even sure if I am either."

A long silence follows, then Angel admits, seemingly unrelated, "I thought we could be together, all of us. Happy, I thought we could be happy."

Cordelia hears him say "we" with such sadness that it hurts.

"W-well, maybe some of us still can. Listen, I know this isn't the right time or place. And this is really awkward for me, but, hey, the last time I waited and tried to set the scene I almost lost you."

"I'm sorry if it felt like I stood you up that night. "

"Yeah. I'm not gonna lie, for most of that night and the next I hated you a bit. But that doesn't matter now. I know that you don't have a good history with relationships, but I feel that there's something between us, and there has been for a while. Am I wrong?"

"You're not wrong."

"I don't know about you, but I can't ignore it anymore. Hell, I couldn't ignore three months ago, but after this, after I've got you back, I'm not letting this chance go by."

Angel stays silent.

She says, "Well, what do you think about it?"

"Cordy, I do feel something for you, but-"

"But what? That night I talked to you on the phone, sure, it wasn't exactly a sonnet, but there weren't any 'buts'."

"When I was in the ocean, around day three or four, I'm not really sure, the hallucinations started. From hunger, sensory deprivation."

"What does that have to do with this?"

"I kept dreaming and hallucinating about you, us. And Fred, Gunn, Lorne - Connor. As a family."

"That's a good sign, right?"

He looks her in the eye and says flatly, "I killed you. Dozens, hundreds of times. I killed you all every time I forgot I was in a box. But, not right away. Sometimes we would be having dinner, or watching a movie, or even just saying good morning. Sometimes it was just you and me, alone. And then- "

"They were just hallucinations. I understand that you're a vampire, I'm a human, well half-human, now. Angel. you've never hurt me."

"Not yet."

"So, what, are you going to go all rogue again and fire everyone?"

"No. I don't want to hurt you- us."

"What if I'm willing to take that risk?"

"Cordelia." He takes a long pause. "I have feelings for you, deeply. When I was down there, the thought that I would never see you again was horrible. I'm not in the right state of mind to give you an honest answer, yet. I care for you too much to not give you at least that."

She sighs, visible with disappointment, and stands up. "I guess I should be grateful for that gentle rejection." She walks to the door, and says "I'll tell Gunn and Fred they can come in."

Before she exits he says, "Wait. For what it's worth, if we had met at Point Dume that night, I would have said yes."

She turns with a little hope in her eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"That does help a little."

They both smile. Suddenly, Cordelia jerks her head back and screams as a vision invades her mind. She falls to the floor in throes and shakes.

"Cordy!" Angel's muscles are so weak and stiff that Fred and Gunn reach her before he does.

Gunn reaches down and sits her up. They all crouch around her.

"Cordy. What was it? Tell us what you see."

"Uh, it's a warehouse- at the harbor- There's a girl. There's blood all over her. She's talking, I can't understand her. Now she's fighting someone, a vampire. What? It's Spike."

"Spike?"

Fred asks, "Who's Spike?"

"Cordy, what else?"

"I don't know. Spike he... no the girl... the pain, it doesn't make any sense. The girl, she... " The vision stops and Cordelia opens her eyes. "Sorry, I couldn't make any sense of the rest."

"It's ok, Cordy. You did good." Angel stands painfully.

Gunns says as he helps Cordelia up, "Yeah, we know a vampire is going to try to kill a girl at the harbor. Seems like we know enough to me."

Cordelia replies, "Yeah, you're right. It just felt different. Something wasn't right."

Fred asks again, "Who's Spike?"

"An old friend from Sunnydale. Gunn, do you remember Drusilla?"

"That pale crazy bitch?"

"Yeah, well Spike is her peroxide childe. Last time he was in L.A. he had Angel tortured."

Angel, who has already slowly walked to the weapons cabinet, says, "It's time I repaid him for those hot pokers." He opens it and takes out a light ax.

"Angel, you can barely walk, let alone fight."

Angel, after taking out a cross bow, replies, "Who said anything about fighting? Fred get me your tazer." She nods and goes for it. "Gunn, you drive." Then after a beat, "You guys did get my car back, right?"

Reassured that Angel is showing a semblance of himself from before summer, Gunn grins and says, "Yeah, your car's parked in front. What's this guy fight like."

"Fast and stupid. He's impulsive, and he loves to talk." Fred returns and hands him the tazer, which he pockets. "Good. Fred, Cordy, take the other cross bows. You stay as far away from him as you can. I want him close to me."

Cordelia, still worried, says, "Angel, please stay here for this one. We've been doing this all summer without you. Sure, we suck at it...

"Hey," Gunn interjects.

"But we can handle one vampire."

Angel says, "Cordy, you know Spike isn't a normal vampire. I'm not sending any of you out there unless I'm in front. You can stay or go if you want. This is what we do, remember?"

Cordelia assents and grabs a cross bow. Together they walk towards the front door.

Angel adds, "Also, I haven't hit anything in three months, and I really want to beat the hell out of that little shit."