Destiny

Plot

1880, the Royal London Hotel, Dru brings the newly vampirized William to her home. Actually, it's the home of a couple Angelus has killed. She introduces him to Angelus (Darla has gone back to the master). He grabs William's hand and holds it into the sunlight coming through the window where it burns. He releases it, then holds his own hand in the light saying he's been wanting to share the slaughter of innocents with another man. William holds his hand out to burn. Both men laugh and Angelus says they are going to be the best of friends. Cut to the present with Angel telling Spike to get away from him. Spike wants an office and Angel won't give him one. We learn Wesley is on a leave of absence. Spike mocks Wesley and his angst over killing his father, talking again about how he killed his mother. Harmony hears this and thinks it explains a lot. She points out a package has come for Spike. She opens it for him and there's a flash. The phones start ringing, Spike walks to Angel's office and smashes into the door. He's corporeal again. Angel comes out of his office and Spike starts touching him. Then he grabs his cup of blood and drinks it, asking if it's otter. Gunn comes out and Spike hugs him. Spike tells them about the box. Angel asks Harmony what's up with the phones, she doesn't know. Spike kisses Harmony and wants to go off with her. She rejects him at first, then he compliments her skirt and she tells Angel she's going on a long lunch.

In the past, Angelus and William are in a carriage, with a body Angelus has been drinking. They slaughtered a wedding party. William says he's going to go look for Dru who's off hunting street urchins. He says she's his destiny. In the present, Spike and Harmony are wandering the halls. Spike kicks a guy out of his office and he and Harmony go in. The guy goes over to the photocopier and talks to someone he calls Jerry about what happened. Jerry turns and is bleeding from the eyes. He starts shouting about how nobody replaces the toner and attacks the guy. Cut to Angel saying to kill the phones and the computers. Gunn comes up as does Fred who tells them the atmospheric gauges are off the scale. Angel complains about Spike drinking all his blood and calls for Harmony. Gunn reminds him she's off having a nooner with Spike. Fred says what and Gunn explains what a nooner is, but she knows that and wants to know what happened to Spike. They explain and realize his corporealization and the phone and computers and gauges are likely linked to that. Eve enters and says the corporate seers contacted her. She says this is connected to the shanshu prophecy. She says two souled, vampire champions is upsetting the universe. She says Spike didn't qualify as a champion until he died saving the world. Then he was a ghost and didn't qualify. Now he's back and there's trouble. Gunn leaves to check on something. Fred asks why Eve didn't warn her about this, but Eve says she didn't know. She asks how they did it and Angel tells her about the package. Eve says it's the same as the amulet. Angel notes they never found out who sent that. Fred wonders if it's the senior partners. Eve says this is a harbinger and Angel asks of what. She says of something worse. Cut to Spike and Harmony having sex on the desk. Harmony starts bleeding from the eyes and bites Spike.

Harmony starts shouting at Spike, saying she doesn't belong to him and he wants his slayer whore. He hits her, knocking her over and out. Cut to the toner guy tied to a gurney and being sedated. We see Eve, Angel, and Lorne with the word toner written in blood on the wall behind them. Lorne says he came in on the toner guy going crazy and got smashed in the head himself. Angel orders the building shut down. Lorne goes to barricade himself in his office and Angel asks him to stop by and tell Fred he wants to know the second she figures out what's causing this. Eve says he already knows. They come upon Spike who tells them about Harmony. Eve explains her theory. Spike says he'll leave LA and go to Europe. She says the whole plane of existence is in peril. Gunn shows up. He went to talk to the cat in the white room. Both are gone and there is just a howling abyss. Eve says that means the conduit is gone and they are on their own. Angel asks Spike to stay, saying Europe will be there when this is all over. Angel says he read the prophecy and Spike says he's the one who said it was meaningless. Eve says they need to get an expert.

Sirk is lecturing Gunn, Eve, Spike, and Angel on the prophecy saying reading a translation is vastly different from reading the real thing. Sirk says there are some newly translated verses. He reads about the vampire with a soul drinking from the cup of perpetual torment. He says that will confirm one of them as the prophetic figure and the universe should realign itself. Angel and Spike argue over which it is. They ask Sirk where to find the cup and he reads about a city in the sand. Angel realizes it's a reference to an opera house in Death Valley which was destroyed in an earthquake. But Spike has already left. Cut to Spike racing along in one of Angel's cars. The car phone rings and it's Angel complaining Spike stole his car. Spike says it belongs to him now, possession being 9/10 of the law. Spike says Angel is wrong, that the prophecy is about him. He hangs up. At the office, Gunn suggests Eve is more involved than she admits. She says he's the one connected to the senior partners.

Angel arrives at the opera house. Spike is already there. They dis each other, then Spike goes to fulfill the prophecy. Flashback to William entering the hotel to find Angelus having sex with Dru. Angel and Spike find the cup and start fighting for it. Angel touches a cross and burns. Spike laughs, Angel says he's no different. Spike says he is. He says Angel had a soul forced on him as a curse, but Spike fought for his soul. Spike says he knew it was the right thing to do, that it's his destiny. Angel says he just wanted to get into Buffy's pants.

At the firm, Gunn starts bleeding from the eyes and attacks Eve. Fred tries to trank him, but he knocks her aside. Finally, she knocks him out. Angel and Spike continue to fight. In the past, William tells Angelus not to touch Dru. Angelus tells him not to raise his voice to him. William says Dru was his. Angelus tells him he can never have anything, not even Dru. Angelus says William should change his name. He goes and holds Dru, saying if William wants her he should take her. William hurls himself at Angelus. Spike hurls himself at Angel. He says Angel can't stand him because all the evil Spike has done was because of Angel. That Angel made him a monster. Angel says he just let the real Spike out. Spike hits him with the cross. He continues to hold it, even though his hands burn. He says Angel never knew the real him, he was too busy trying to see his own reflection. Spike says he's nothing like Angel. Angel says he's less and that's why Buffy never really loved him. Spike says she must have been thinking of Angel all the time she was having sex with Spike. They both put on their vampire faces and continue fighting.

Fred is tending to Eve. Eve tells her she doesn't have to pretend to care. Fred tries to say they don't believe Gunn's accusations, but Eve walks out saying she is not the bad guy. Spike gets the better of Angel and stakes him to the floor. They revert to human form. Spike says he would have dusted Angel but didn't want to hear her bitch about it. He goes to the cup and Angel says the cup is a burden and asks if it is really the destiny Spike wants or if he just wants to take something away from Angel. Spike says a bit of both and drinks. He drops the cup and says it's Mountain Dew. They realize it was a fake.

At the firm, Angel returns and tells Fred he fell. Spike enters and says Sirk has vanished. Fred realizes they fought. Gunn comes to and is alright. Harmony, too. Eve explains the senior partners have temporarily stabilized the universe. They know nothing about Sirk and are angry about it. She says they will find Sirk. She goes to leave and Gunn tries to apologize to her. Spike says he needs to get drunk and leaves. Angel says Spike beat him, that he was stronger and wanted it more. He thinks this means he's not the one.

Eve comes home. Her apartment has mystical markings on the walls. She enters and talks to an unseen person, saying what happened, how Sirk disappeared as wanted and how Angel and Spike beat each other up though they didn't kill each other. She undresses and gets into bed next to a mystically marked Lindsey who says it's a start.