What appears to be a group of teenagers natter and roam through the streets of Magic Town. They’re rowdy, unashamedly loud in their criticism of the area and its residents. One woman — a blue-skinned local with a small horn on her head — is knocked to the ground, her shopping scattering across the pavement. As the youths move off, laughing, Fred Burkle approaches and helps the woman gather her things.

Fred, furious, yells after the yobs, warning them not to make enemies of people in Magic Town. One of the youths — a girl — yells back, asking why they should be careful. “Angel’s left town,” she sneers. Then she turns toward Fred, fangs unfurling.

The youths are vampires.

Fred tells the woman to run and bolts in the opposite direction. She rounds a corner — straight into a dead end — cursing herself for not studying the area more thoroughly. As the vampires converge and pin her into the alley, Fred warns them: they don’t want to do this.

The lead vamp ignores her, gripping Fred’s hair and pulling her close. Fred protests — but then she stops.

Her eyes glaze over, shifting from hazel to icy blue. Blue energy crackles and settles around her face, framing her now-transformed clothing.

The vampires recoil instantly. They back away, stammering apologies. “No harm done,” they insist.

Illyria stares. Silent.

As the vampires flee, they’re instantly dusted — caught in a snare of blue light. One transforms into a bat mid-flight, but the God strikes it down, vaporising it. The lead vamp tries to escape, but Illyria grabs her, still wordless.

A blue glow erupts from the alleyway, blazing outward, showering the night in colour.

Fred awakens some time later with a start. She looks around and realises she’s back in her room at the Fairweather House. Not only that — a familiar face is sitting in a chair a short distance from the bedside.

Angel greets her with a smile. “Did you know you snore?”

She’s delighted he’s back. He explains he came in and decided to keep her company until she woke. Apparently, according to the sisters, when Fred came in last night, they were worried.

He asks if she’s up for some work. He has news downstairs and has assembled the group. Fred looks at him — she gets the impression their problem isn’t solved.

He chuckles slightly, but the smile fades. “More like problem exacerbated.”

Downstairs, Faith, Eldre Koh, and Sophie and Lavinia Fairweather are gathered to hear what Angel has to say. He explains the situation with Archaeus — how he gave the demon what he wanted: himself. Archaeus tried to control both him and Spike, but their souls blocked it.

He adds that the Scoobies destroyed a magical artefact known as the Restless Door — a mystic device capable of opening portals to other dimensions. But Archaeus himself escaped.

Lavinia asks why he would come to London. Angel says he’s dividing and conquering — but if not for Spike, he wouldn’t be here to talk to them.

Koh reasons that Archaeus has a sound plan. But Angel has one piece of bad news. Archaeus has an advantage in London.

“Drusilla.”

It’s Faith who speaks.

“Archaeus has the same connection with her that he does with Spike and Angel — but without a soul to gum up the works. So he’s upgraded to a pretty powerful sidekick.”

Lavinia starts passing weapons around — straight out of the kitchen cupboards. Faith stops her. They’re not at battle stations yet. They need more information before they act. It’s an investigation they need.

Angel agrees.

“Archaeus wants power. His kind always do.”

Fred sets down her coffee mug. “With you out of town, I got the feeling those vampires last night were sort of feeling the place out — seeing what they could get away with. Gathering intelligence, too.”

It’s agreed. Fred and Angel will call on Nadira to see if she can help. Faith will gladly go with Koh and root out any villains looking to make a move.

Eldre Koh grins at her slightly. “If there’s trouble out there, we’ll scuttlebutt it,” the Slayer says, taking another sip of coffee.

Somewhere beneath the streets of London, in a sewer drain atop a makeshift throne, sits Drusilla. She’s surrounded by vampires — all youths, all listening to her every singsong word.

“Mummy is very disappointed with her babies. Your little friends said they’d go into Magic Town and have a bit of a look-see, but where are they? Mummy gets very put out when her babies get themselves killed instead of doing their jobs.”

The vampires kneel before her in subjugation, apologising to their mistress. But another vampire enters — bigger, cockier, full of attitude. He tells Dru her kids are weak. He and his crew were tough before they were even turned.

Fisticuffs break out between the two groups, with the newcomer emerging triumphant. He kneels before Drusilla.

She’s delighted. “I’m sending you and your brothers to bring me something special.”

The newcomer asks what.

“The key to Magic Town, of course,” Drusilla grins, wickedly.

Elsewhere, having finished their patrol, Faith and Eldre Koh head for Rory’s bar. But when they enter, they find the place trashed — Rory nursing a head wound behind the bar, and several others picking up broken glass and stitching injuries.

Faith asks who did it. Rory looks up at her, his eye bruised and black. Vampires, he confirms — vampires looking for Angel.

Koh suggests it could be a diversion, but if they move quickly, they might catch the pack. Before they exit, Rory calls after them, asking if she’s the Faith who runs with Angel. When she says she is, he looks visibly relieved.

He tells her that, even if it’s not publicly talked about, the team of Angel and Faith has come to mean something to the residents of Magic Town. He asks her to do what she can.

She promises — realising, for the first time, the impact she and Angel have had.

On their way to Nadira’s, Angel is notified of the incident by Faith. He’s angry. It feels like the bad guys are taunting them — like they’re meant to keep guessing what the next move will be.

He asks Fred about Illyria — specifically, whether Fred could call her out if they needed her power.

Fred doesn’t know. She felt Illyria take over when the vampires attacked, but sometimes it’s clear, sometimes it’s not. She just has a vague sense that Illyria doesn’t want to come out — or help. But maybe she would, for self-preservation.

As they reach the top of the stairs in the blank wooden building, they receive word: Nadira has been asking for him.

As they enter the room, Nadira greets them without moving or looking up, the green markings on her skin glowing intensely.

“Welcome back, Angel. It’s unfortunate you weren’t able to finish your business in California. Now the trouble is on our front doorstep.”

Angel asks if she knows anything. Nadira pauses — he doesn’t mean her, does he? “You mean the magic.”

When Angel confirms, Nadira simply tells him to move from the window, her voice polite but commanding.

Angel barely shifts in time.

Vampires in service to Drusilla burst through the concealed window, glass shattering across the room. Angel is taken out quickly — kicked to the floor, overwhelmed. The lead vamp grabs Nadira and throws her over his shoulder. Before Fred can blink, both vampire and Seer are gone.

As Fred runs after them, she catches a silent grin on Nadira’s face as she’s carried off.

The remaining vampires pile onto Angel, but Fred grabs a wooden candlestick, trying to stake one. Angel rises from the ground snarling, spinning with savage speed and fury, sword in hand — decapitating them all.

He checks on Fred, then leaps from the window.

They need to get Nadira back.

He hits the street below without effort, fangs exposed, yellow eyes locked on the figure in front of him.

“If you think you can just grab a friend of mine—”

He’s interrupted.

Drusilla stands there, flanked by her vampire soldiers. “Angel, darling. Always being so dramatic…”

She cups Nadira’s chin with a thinly gloved hand, gazing at her sire.

“I think it’s time we talked about welcoming you back into the family.”