Double or Nothing

Plot

Gunn and Fred go through the office files, trying to work. Lorne says that's the right thing to do, quietly commenting on Angel's complete absence from activity - he's just staring at Connor's empty crib. Gunn says he doesn't think Wesley will show his face around the office, for fear Angel will kill him. Cordelia and Groo show up, back with gifts, and she immediately realizes something is wrong. She goes to Angel to commiserate. Cut to a casino with humans and demons in it. The demon in charge calls over another demon and gives him a card for Angel investigations. He tells him to bring him in, that his marker is up and it is time to collect his soul.

Cordelia sits with Angel. Lorne packs up Wesley's things. Groo says Cordelia and Angel are involved in the vigil for the bereaved (shiv-roth for Pyleans). A demon couple are talking to Fred and Gunn. They have a skench demon squatting in their lair and Gunn goes to deal with it. Lorne puts away the box with Wesley's stuff and tells Groo and Fred he's going on some house calls. Fred takes the box to the hospital and visits Wesley. She tells him she understands why he did it. She says what Angel did was wrong. She says Wesley was wrong, he should have trusted them. She says he shouldn't come back to the hotel. She tells him the prophecy was false.

The demon from the casino shows up at the office and talks to Groo, thinking he's Angel. Gunn has found the lair and enters, to be met by projectile phlegm from the Skench demon. They fight and he destroys it. At that moment, the demon from the casino (the closed captions call him the repo man) enters. We flash back seven years to Gunn going to the casino. He talks to the demon in charge, asking for something. He signs a contract in blood, trading his future for his present happiness. We return to the present with the repo man accusing Gunn of trying to cheat them out of his soul. He denies it. The repo man says according to the akashic records, Gunn is getting ready to give his soul to a woman. Only it's not his to give, it's Mr. Jenoff's (the demon from the casino). Gunn says he's a different person now, he says there must be something else Jenoff will take. The repo man tells Gunn he has 24 hours to go back to the casino and hand in his soul. Or they'll take it and Fred's.

Gunn returns to the hotel and Cordelia talks to him. She thinks he's unhappy because he and Fred are so happy while Angel and Wesley are so sad. She tells him it is alright to enjoy his bright future with Fred. She tells him to take tomorrow off with Fred. The next morning, Fred is wakened by Gunn on the phone. She guesses what he's wearing (it takes two guesses and she's never done worse than that). While they are talking, he walks in. He has breakfast (from her favourite takeout). It's pancakes and waffles. Gunn says they are spending the day together. Cut to Wesley's hospital room where a doctor enters to tell him he's doing better and will be discharged that day. He asks if anyone can pick Wesley up. There's no response.

Angel and Cordelia are still staring at the crib. Angel says he thinks Connor was a southpaw. He says living so long you expect to lose people, but it's different now because Connor was just a baby. He talks about having a really long life, but suddenly having something else. Cordelia says it was a future. Gunn and Fred are at a cafe. Fred is full, Gunn has been stuffing her with her favourite foods. Now he wants to go to the movies or a club or shopping. She says she's wiped. He says he blew it. She says they don't have to cram the rest of their lives into one day. She sees the look on his face and worries. She asks if he has leukemia. He says no. She realizes the knot in her stomach isn't from the food, that there is something wrong with them. Gunn pretends he wants to break up. He's mean and rude to her. He mocks her and leaves her.

Cordelia tells Angel she won't pretend things will get better. He'll always have the pain of the loss of Connor. But she says he'll go on living. That there will be people who need them and they will help. That's what they do. She hears sobbing and opens the door to find Fred there. She says she thinks Gunn is in danger. We see Gunn walk into the casino. Fred has explained the situation to Groo, Cordelia, and Angel. They are confused at how she figured he was in danger from him breaking up with her. She says that he wouldn't have hurt her except to protect her. Angel is still stuck on the realization they are dating, but he says they will help. Cut to Wesley returning to his empty apartment.

Cordelia has been calling Gunn, but there is no answer. Angel says he and Fred will check out Gunn's old haunts. Groo and Cordelia can go to his place. And Cordelia says she'll report his truck stolen. Groo says they can leave their business cards with people, just like the demon who came looking for Gunn. Angel looks at the card, it's for Jenoff's Casino. He says Jenoff is a soul sucker.

At the casino, Gunn is about to have his soul sucked. Angel and the others enter and Angel shouts out Gunn, scaring everyone and causing an uproar. They fight their way into the casino, but are soon surrounded by demons. Angel demands to talk to Jenoff. He says Gunn works for him. Jenoff says he should have checked into Gunn's background before hiring him. Angel says if Jenoff lets Gunn go, he won't kill him. Unimpressed, Jenoff orders his men to kill them. Angel offers double or nothing. They'll play a game of Angel's choice. If he wins, Gunn goes free. If he loses, Jenoff gets both their souls. Jenoff agrees. Fred points out if Angel loses his soul he'll go evil and kill them all. But Cordelia still sides with the card game. Angel gives her a stake and says if he loses to make it quick. They go to a card table and Angel opts for a simple cut of the deck, high card wins. Jenoff gets a 9 of clubs, Angel turns up a 3 of hearts. Cordelia stakes Jenoff's hand to the table. Angel cuts off his head. Gunn knocks down the repo man, then points out killing Jenoff isn't that easy. Jenoff starts growing a new head. Angel turns to the crowd and asks if anybody else there owes Jenoff. The crowd turns on Jenoff and starts beating him to death as the gang flee.

Fred and Gunn are sitting in his truck and he is apologizing for what he did. Fred asks him what he traded his soul for. He tells her it was for the truck. He says he loves her. At the hotel, Angel starts disassembling the crib.