Sanctuary

Plot

A wet and slightly injured Faith is riding in an elevator with Angel. Angel and Faith enter Angel’s apartment, and Angel shows her where his bed is. Faith lies down, and Angel covers her with a blanket. Angel is acting very comforting. Faith tries to tell Angel something, but then she flashbacks to earlier that night, when she was furiously attacking Angel with a butcher knife. Faith tells Angel never mind, and he leaves.

In Angel Investigation HQ next day, Cordy and Wesley exchange stories. Cordy is now sporting a black eye, and Wesley has many cuts and bruises. Faith is responsible for both of their injuries. Cordy is angry with Angel, who gave Faith his bed to sleep in. Angel steals Cordy’s donuts, and it is revealed that they are for Faith. Wesley, who was tortured badly and almost killed last night by Faith, doesn’t understand why Angel is treating her so well. Wesley calls Faith a rabid animal, and Angel explains that it’s their job to help people in trouble. Wesley tells Angel that Faith is incurably evil, and that there is no saving her. Wesley warns that if Faith is set free, she’ll kill again, before leaving. Angel asks Cordy whether or not she believes Faith will change, while Cordy gets him to sign some business cheques. Cordy agrees and nods while Angel is signing, before revealing that she’s now leaving for a paid vacation, for the duration of Faith stay with Angel. Cordy leaves.

At the smoker’s apartment, a cop and a detective are looking over the debris from the fight between Angel and Faith, that took place the previous night. The cop leaves and Kate shows up, but she isn’t assigned to the case. Detective Kendrick explains that this home belongs to the smoker, who was attacked by ‘a woman’ on Faith’s first night in Los Angeles. ‘The woman’ stole the smoker’s wallet and keys, so Kendrick is assuming correctly that Faith was using the smoker’s apartment as her own. Kendrick also tells Kate that ‘the woman’ who attacked the smoker has a felony arrest warrant from Sunnydale. Kendrick asks Kate why she is acting like Scully, from The X-Files, by always being involved in strange cases, even ones that she’s not assigned to. Kate responds that she’s acting more like Mulder, not Scully, but she doesn’t answer Kendrick’s question.

In Angel’s apartment, Angel brings the donuts down for Faith, who is no longer in his bed. Faith is leaning against a wall in the kitchen. Angel tells Faith to give him the knife, and after a second’s pause, Faith gives Angel the butcher’s knife she was holding. Angel tells Faith to sleep, and Faith tells Angel that her coma was like sleeping, only for eight months.

Lilah enters Lindsey’s office, and tells Lindsey that Faith didn’t kill Angel, but is now Angel’s house guest. Lilah comments on how Angel is impossible to kill, then mentions that he might have dated a vampire Slayer in the past. Lindsey is worried that the Senior Partners are going to find out that Lilah, Lindsey and Lee Mercer gave Faith money to kill Angel, and then she didn’t. Mercer, who has a bruised face and is in a neck brace from his last encounter with Faith, suggests killing her.

Faith has a flashback to her first murder, back in Sunnydale. Buffy warned Faith not to kill a man named Finch, but Faith ended up shoving a stake into his heart by accident, thinking it was a vampire. Buffy tells Faith that she killed a man, and Faith tells Buffy that she doesn’t care. Back in Angel’s apartment, Faith starts packing her bag. Angel tells Faith not to leave, because she’ll either ending up running away for her whole life, or she’ll be killed. Faith asks Angel if he is keeping her prisoner, and Angel lets her walk out the door. Angel reminds Faith of that one time when he told her that she didn’t have to go out into the darkness, but now the darkness has swallowed her whole. Faith punches Angel in the face, and Angel doesn’t do anything. Faith then asks for help, and Angel agrees.

Wesley is alone in a bar, drinking and playing darts with himself. While retrieving his own darts, somebody throws a dart past Wesley’s head, and hits the bull’s eye. Wesley turns, to see Weatherby, Collins and Smith, the retrieval team sent by the Watcher’s council to capture Faith, back in Sunnydale. Collins greets Wesley.

Sitting in a booth, still at the bar, Wesley and the three other British men order some beer. Collins smokes a cigarette, despite the no-smoking sign, and explains to Wesley that the Watcher’s council would like to re-instate Wesley as a Watcher, and fly him home to England. But, Wesley must first help them to stop Faith.

In Angel’s apartment, Faith asks Angel how does it work. Angel explains that no matter how good or noble Faith is from now on, the cosmic balance may never tip in her favour, because of all those evil things she’s done. Angel warns Faith that she’ll probably be haunted for the rest of her life. Faith asks again, how does the microwave work, after Angel explains the wrong thing to her. Angel tells Faith that she must apologize to Wesley, if she can, for torturing him. Angel asks if Faith is sorry. Faith explains that all the suffering she has ever caused is coming back to haunt her, and realizes that she can never make it up to Buffy. Buffy tried to be Faith’s friend, and Faith just screwed her over, and Faith mentions about her encounter with Riley too. Angel, seems upset over hearing about the new boyfriend.

In Lindsey’s office, Lilah, Lindsey and Mercer are interviewing somebody to get rid of Faith. Lindsey explains that they want Faith dead, but Mercer says that he wants Faith to suffer first. Lilah explains that they can’t put the deal down on paper, or else the Senior Partners might find out about the second free-lance assassin they hired to kill the first. The interviewee is shown, as an armless creature, with scraggily black hair, blue skin, a mouthful of fangs, and four eyes.

Still in the bar, Collins gives Wesley a syringe. The retrieval team intends for Wesley to tranquillize Faith, so that they can take her back to England for rehabilitation. Wesley agrees to their plan, under the condition that Angel is in no way harmed. Collins and Wesley shake on this.

Faith is eating popcorn and flipping through the channels on Angel’s television. Something scampers around behind Faith. Angel, fresh from the shower, asks Faith if she’s still all right, which she confirms. The thing skitters on the ceiling above Faith. Faith changes to a police report, which shows a picture of Faith. The report identifies her as a fugitive from Sunnydale, involved in recent assaults in Los Angeles. Angel walks in, and tells Faith that this changes nothing. Kate appears on the television screen, informing the public to call the police but not to approach Faith. Angel turns off the television, and tells Faith that she’s safe here. The thing drops off the ceiling and begins throwing Angel and Faith around. Angel pushes Faith into the kitchen. While Angel is still fighting it, Faith grabs the butcher’s knife and stabs the thing several times. Faith begins crying, and Angel leads her back to his bed. Angel holds her and tells her that everything is fine. Somebody comes down the stairs, and Angel realizes that it’s Buffy.

Angel explains that he and Faith just got attacked. Buffy heard that Faith attacked Angel the night before, and is wondering why Angel is now cuddling Faith. Buffy gets mad at Angel, who is trying to convince her that Faith can and wants to change. Faith tries to apologize to Buffy, who seems intent on fighting Faith. Angel tells Faith to go upstairs, which makes Buffy angry enough to punch Angel in the face. Angel punches Buffy in the face as well. Angel apologizes.

Once upstairs, Faith is approached by Wesley. Wesley asks Faith where she’s going, and Faith tells him that she wanted to be alone.

Lilah walks into Lindsey’s office, and tells Lindsey and Mercer that Faith killed the thing. Mercer gets mad that the first assassin failed to kill Angel, the second assassin failed to kill Faith, and the only thing that Faith killed was the second assassin, who was hired after the first assassin failed her mission, but then succeeded to kill the second assassin. Lindsey suggests they solve their problem using their lawyer skills.

Angel explains that Buffy nearly made Faith run, and then there would be no stopping or helping Faith. Buffy tells Angel that he has no idea what kinds of things Faith did recently in Sunnydale. Angel tells Buffy that she has no idea how difficult it is for Faith to mend her evil ways. Wesley is pushing Faith down the stairs, and briefly explains to Angel the plan he made with the Council’s retrieval team. Wesley also mentions that he’s not following the retrieval team’s plan, for he suspects that they will just kill Faith, and possibly Angel. Finally, Wesley mentions the building is surrounded by Collins, Smith, and Weatherby. Angel suggests taking Faith through the sewers, but Faith has already escaped to the roof. Buffy leaves, looking for Faith. Wesley, alone with Angel, reveals that he trusts Angel, not Faith or the retrieval team.

At the Police station, Lindsey shows Kate a picture of Angel, and tells her that Angel is their common enemy. Lindsey explains to Kate that there is no legality involved when it comes down to demons and vampires. The state fails to recognise these creatures, and there is no way to punish them. They are above the law, in a sense. Lindsey points out that Angel is one such creature, that is above the law. While Lindsey leaves, he also mentions that the female fugitive is in Angel’s care and protection.

Buffy catches up to Faith on the roof, as a helicopter flies by. Faith explains that she can’t take back anything that she’s done to Buffy. Buffy tells Faith that she’s going to be stopped, because Buffy is tired of being Faith’s victim. Collins appears with a machine-gun. As Collins opens fire, Buffy tackles Faith to safety, out of the line of fire.

Angel and Wesley are standing next to the sewers, when they hear gunfire on the roof. Weatherby appears and starts shooting at Angel and Wesley with a gun. Weatherby also has a crossbow, for killing Angel.

Buffy and Faith try to jump to another building, when the helicopter gets in the way. Smith is inside, with a machine-gun. Buffy and Faith hide behind a skylight, from both Collins and Smith.

Wesley tries to reason with Weatherby, but Weatherby calls the alliance formed between the former Watcher Wesley and the vampire Angel a ‘perversion’.

Buffy tackles Collins and begin fighting him. Smith is unable to shoot Buffy, without hitting Collins.

Wesley distracts Weatherby, while Angel runs past and up to the roof. Weatherby begins shooting at Wesley.

Buffy is still fighting on the rooftop with Collins.

Wesley, unarmed except for the syringe, takes off the cap and throws it at Weatherby. Miraculously, it hits him, and Weatherby drops his gun. Wesley walks over and knocks out Weatherby.

As Buffy knocks Collins out, Angel jumps through the skylight and grabs onto the helicopter. Angel pulls Smith out of the helicopter, and he lands at Buffy’s feet. Angel has vamped out, and once inside the helicopter, tells the pilot to land. Buffy looks around the rooftop for Faith, who has vanished.

Police cars arrive as the helicopter lands. Kate asks Angel where the fugitive is, but he refuses to tell her. A cop arrests Angel, for aiding and abetting a wanted fugitive.

Wesley and Buffy arrive at the Police station. Kate is telling Angel that she’s making sure he gets an East-facing cell, to watch the sunrise in the morning. Buffy gets angry at Kate, and tells Angel that he’s not taking the fall for Faith. Angel suddenly notices Faith as she enters the station, of her own accord. Faith offers to make a confession.

Later on, Angel explained that he kept Faith’s presence a secret from Buffy, so that he could try and save her. Buffy claims that she was worried Angel was in danger, but Angel points out Buffy just showed up because she wanted vengeance against Faith. Buffy tells Angel that she can at least trust Riley, which she never could with Angel. Angel tells Buffy not to come to Los Angeles, if all she’s going to do is flaunt herself and her tales of her new boyfriend at him, then order Angel around like she’s in charge. Buffy leaves. Wesley shows up, and tells Angel that he did the right thing.

Faith is now alone, in her jail cell. Wesley tells Angel that he hopes Faith is strong, because peace is not an easy thing to find. Angel tells Wesley that Faith has a chance.