Written by Kristina

Angel is kneeling in front of the woman that Cordy gave birth to. The woman wraps herself in a blanket, and turns to Cordy to thank her for her protection and nourishment. Connor tells the woman that all Cordy wanted to do was to bring her life. Angel tells the woman that he is unworthy; that he came here to kill her. The woman tells Angel that his suffering will end, and Angel bows his head, waiting for her to deliver a killing blow that never comes; the woman has disappeared.

Fred is gathering books up from the office, and Lorne is straightening up the desk. Fred remarks that they shouldn't have let things slip that far into chaos. Something is bothering her, and Lorne tries to find out what. She gets distracted by a buzzing sound; Gunn and Wes are dismembering Skip in the basement. Finally, Fred begins talking about Angel and Cordy. She can't believe that Angel would kill Cordy, and she doesn't understand why the Beast master chose Cordy and not some evil person to be its vessel. She suddenly shifts gears, and runs out into the lobby with a knife. Lorne follows her out, and finds her holding a knife at Connor. She wants him to drop his knife, but Connor says that he is just putting it away. Angel comes in, and tells them it is okay; Connor is with him. Angel has laid Cordy on the couch, and says that she isn't dead; she's resting. Wes and Gunn come up into the lobby, and together they learn that Cordy is no longer pregnant, but she didn't have hell spawn. Angel can't tell them much more because he begins weeping. Connor tells him not to torture himself anymore. The woman disappeared without saying goodbye. Connor and Angel are both in rapture of her, and the rest of the group is puzzled. They try to get their weapons to go find and kill Cordy's spawn, but Angel and Connor stop them. All of their questions are answered, however, when the woman appears in the lobby. Slowly, each member of the Fang Gang falls to their knees in worship.

Cordy has been moved to her bedroom, and the group is gathered around her. The woman explains that she has come back to Earth; she was here once before. According to her, in the beginning, great beings walked on the earth. Power, which was the seeds for good and evil, was everywhere, but the shadows stretched into darkness, and the earth became a demon realm. The beings that were able to resist the darkness left Earth, but watched it from a far. They watched as man emerged and hoped man would even the balance between good and evil. The woman arranged for a miracle (Connor's birth) in order to come to Earth to help out man. The horror of the past few months were merely birth pains. The woman believes that Cordy will wake up when they "strip away the thorns" in the world and win the battle against evil. She says that they need to get rid of the evil that is damaging the city.

In a bowling alley, vampires are bowling with a severed human head. It doesn't work very well, but they don't bowl for long; the Fang Gang shows up with the woman in tow. The Fang Gang fights with the vampires, and the woman pulls Fred aside. She needs a name, but cannot give it to herself. Like babies that are born into the world, her name needs to be given to her by people that love her.

Before this conversation can continue, a vampire slices the woman's arm. Angel throws the vampire away, and chases after him. Fred is distraught, and the woman comforts her, saying that she'll be okay.

Angel and Connor pursue the vampire that attacked the woman, but not before he slices a patron with the same hand he injured the woman with. The woman enters the area, and all the patrons fall to their knees to honor her. The woman tells them to stand, and they follow suit. She tells them that their pain will end, and that a new world will be coming. The young man that the vampire sliced stands up, and grabs a knife. He looks upon the woman, calls her a monster, and says she has to die. He tries to attack the woman, but Angel stops him, and beats on him while vamped out.

The woman stops Angel, and he recedes back to his human face. She lays her hands on the trembling man, and asks Wes to call an ambulance.

Back at the hotel, Wes and Gunn are speaking with the woman, trying to come up with names for her. Dianthia, Iphigenia, Aristophila, and Helen are suggested, before Fred comes in and says that she's trying to clean the woman's shirt. The woman tells Fred it isn't important, but Fred is determined to have it like new. The woman says being able to bleed and feel is a gift. Fred pays her no mind, and runs out of the room to clean the shirt.

The woman turns to both Wes and Gunn, and tells them that their love for Fred shouldn't drive them apart; it should bring them together. Connor enters, and the woman shows them her wound; it has healed completely.

Angel is out in the garden, staring at the ground when the woman comes out to him. She remarks upon the fragrance she smells; it is the night blooming jasmine. It reminds her of Angel. He is upset that he almost dishonored her, but she tells him must let go of his anger. He says he's not angry; he's happy, and that worries him. If he gets too happy, Angelus will emerge. The woman says they will eradicate evil, and that the evil within Angel will also be eradicated, and all that will be left is beauty.

While Fred obsessively tries to clean the woman's shirt, the Fang Gang fights and kills demons.

Angel, Connor, Wes and Gunn are back at the hotel, watching television. A newscaster talks about the recent drop in homicides in Los Angeles after the dramatic rise. Angel turns to the woman, and says that she never doubted them. There is only room for love left now. Lorne enters and says that he has a surprise for the woman upstairs. They leave together, and Wes, Gunn and Angel watch them leave. Fred enters, and shows them the shirt she was trying to clean. When Wes remarks on how it looks like new, she says that is because the shirt is new. She sits down and starts crying. When the woman isn't around, it hurts.

Lorne shows the woman a lavishly decorated suite. She loves it, and she appreciates that Lorne has put jasmine into her room. After Lorne leaves, Connor enters. He is troubled; he doesn't think he deserves to be so happy when he's done so many horrible things. The woman says that she chose him to be her father before he was born -- he deserves all the happiness she can give him. It is his time to fulfill his destiny now.

Fred enters the room to give the woman her shirt, but stops in shock when she sees the woman's true face; a rotted corpse with maggots swarming on it. She looks in horror, and begins crying. Gunn, Wesley and Lorne approach, and try to comfort Fred. Fred lies about why she was crying, and makes a quick exit from the room.

Fred has gone to visit with Cordy. She's worried that the scariness that Lorne read from Cordy earlier will be true and that they won't be able to fight back. Before she can continue, Angel enters the room. He thinks he knows what Fred is thinking -- that it is nice to be wrong about evil. Fred gives half-smiles to Angel, not sure what to say.

Fred has gone to the hospital, and is at the reception. She wants to see the man that tried to attack the woman earlier. After some nervousness and awkwardness, she goes to the man's room. John Stoller is in the psychiatric ward. She wants to know if he's ever been in this ward before. She tells him that she doesn't think he is crazy. She saw something when she looked at the woman, and she wants to know what he saw. The man wants to know if the woman touched her, and when he turns to Fred, the half of his face the woman touched has been transformed into a demonic visage. He wants Fred to untie him so he can kill the woman, but she won't. He tells her that they have a duty to kill it. Fred begins backing away, and her phone rings. She continues backing out, and the man yells after her not to trust anyone.

Fred walks back into the hotel, and it's now bustling with activity. The woman had gone out for a walk, and all these people followed her back. Fred pulls Wes aside, saying she needs to tell him something. She needs him to trust her, even if he doesn't believe it. Wes says he will, and Fred leans over and whispers to him what she saw, and what she knows from visiting John Stoller in the hospital. While this is going on, Gunn watches them from the stairway, unable to hear what they are talking about, but noting their closeness.

Fred watches as Wes goes to talk to Gunn. They both stare at her, before Wes goes up to whisper to Angel, Cordy and the woman. She slowly backs herself to the weapons cabinet, and grabs herself a dagger and a crossbow. Fred aims the crossbow at the woman, and fires. Angel and Connor both jump in front of the woman and Angel intercepts the bolt with his shoulder. Fred approaches Lorne, and holds the knife to his throat. She tells everyone to stay away from her, and uses him as a shield until she is able to escape. As she leaves, the woman tells Fred that her love will follow Fred everywhere. The woman stops anyone from pursuing Fred at the moment.

Fred drives all night in a jeep, and doesn't stop until daylight. When she does stop, she begins to sob uncontrollably.

In the lobby, the Fang Gang can't believe that Fred's evil. Angel has brought the woman a bouquet of jasmine, and she tells the group that Fred is an example of what happens to people when hatred consumes them. Angel blames himself, and he and Connor make their way to the door to track Fred. The woman stops them; it will be easier for them to bring her home the next day. She will have eyes everywhere by then.

Fred is sitting in a diner, and has ordered herself breakfast. She looks at her plate until a TV host begins talking. He introduces his special guest, Jasmine. Fred watches in horror as the woman addresses the camera, and everyone in the diner watches in awed silence. Fred stands and walks out of the diner, only to find that nobody is outside. The streets are empty as everyone is inside watching Jasmine (the woman) speak.