Spoiler Slayer

Summary for Angel episode 5.8. 'Destiny'.

Destiny Summary: (Courtesy of Eljay)

Episode opens on a hotel suite in London, 1880. Drusilla enters with the recently turned William, who is kissing her hungrily. He asks if this is her home. She indicates the drained couple whose home it had been -- whom Angelus drained. William starts to ask who Angelus is and stops as he senses a presence near the bedroom door.

Drusilla is showing off her new creation to Angelus. She asks after Darla, and Angelus informs her that he and Darla had a squabble and she's off with the Master. He comes closer to study William, who eyes him warily. Drusilla asks if Angelus is angry with her. Angelus grabs William's wrist and drags it into sunlight where it sizzles. As William struggles to free his hand, Angelus comments about how tedious it is to only have female companions. William frees himself and warns Angelus not to try that again. Angelus muses on what it might be like to have a man to share his vampire fun with, casually cooking his own hand in the sunlight as he speaks He asks William if he thinks that makes him a deviant. Mesmerized, William stretches his own hand into the sunlight in reply. As Drusilla tut-tuts the whole business, Angelus tells William they're going to be great buddies.

Cut to the present, where Angel and Spike are arguing as usual. Spike wants an office, instead of having to hole up every night in someone else's digs. Angel tells Spike he's not an employee-- therefore no office. Spike asks why he can't have Wesley's office, since the ex-Watcher split. Angel replies that it's only temporary; Wes will be back. Spike comments derisively on how Wesley got all upset just because he thought he'd killed his father. Whereas Spike had killed his mother, because she was trying to seduce him. He suddenly realizes that Harmony is listening, and stops abruptly.

Harmony informs him that he has mail. Spike says huh? Harmony shows him a small package -- it's addressed to Spike, c/o Wolfram & Hart. Spike can't imagine who would be sending him mail. Harmony tells him the package doesn't say, and it's rather heavy, so would he mind taking it? Spike points out that that's kind of a problem. Ooops. Harmony offers to open it.

When Harmony opens the package, there's a bright flash, that quickly disappears. There's nothing in the package. Harmony and Spike look at each other, puzzled. Then the phone rings. Harmony answers it, but there are only weird electronic noises on the line. Spike shrugs the whole thing off, and heads for Angel's office, only to crash into the door as he tries to whoosh through it. Now lots of phones are ringing, up and down the hall. Spike is trying to figure out what happened. Angel comes out to see what's going on, just as Spike realized why he crashed into the door. He's corporeal again!

Spike rises, touches himself (no, not that way; no MA ratings here); touches the walls; touches Angel, who immediately protests. Spike is very excited. He can feel things again. He steals Angel's mug of blood and waxes rapturous over the taste. Gunn shows up to find out what's happening, and Spike envelops him in an enthused hug, as he tells Gunn that he's back. Gunn asks Angel how it happened. Angel hasn't a clue. Spike realizes that the flash from his mysterious package must be responsible.

Meanwhile, the phones are still ringing crazily all over the offices, and now the computers are acting up as well. Harmony is complaining when Spike grabs her for a smooch. She shoves him away. Spike tells Angel he needs to borrow Harmony for awhile. Harmony initially resists the idea, but when Spike compliments her outfit, she informs Angel she's out to lunch.

Flash back to 1880 again. In a carriage, Angelus and William are laughing hysterically, Angelus having just totally disrupted a wedding by killing the priest and the groom. Very messily. The hapless bride is in the carriage with them, and Angelus offers William a taste, but he defers to Angelus -- it's his prize. Besides, William wants to hook up with Dru. Angelus asks him what he thinks of Drusilla, and William says she made him what he was supposed to be. Like she was his destiny.

Back in the present, Spike and Harmony are making tracks down one of the hallways. Spike informs a young associate named Reese that he's borrowing his office. When Reese protests, Spike bodily forces him out. Harmony starts to disrobe (and I doubt we'll get all that far with that, or the warnings will come fast and furious). Complaining, Reese moves down the hall and starts bitching to another W&H employee, named Jerry. Until Jerry turns to him with bloody eyes and starts screaming about how nobody ever replaces the toner. The ranting continues as Jerry beats Reese to death with a fire extinguisher.

Meanwhile, Angel is giving orders for all the electronics to be shut down throughout the building. Gunn is still there with him. Fred shows up -- all the equipment in the lab is also going haywire. Angel realizes Spike drank all his blood and calls for Harmony. Gunn reminds him she's off having sex with Spike. Fred says huh? Angel tells her Spike is corporeal again. Fred wonders why nobody told her. Angel replies it just happened, and they had their hands full with the electronic emergency -- which he suddenly realizes happened to coincide with Spike's recorporealization. Fred starts speculating on how the two events might be connected. Maybe it's just a ripple effect, or maybe it's something more --

Like the end of the world perhaps. Eve shows up and informs them the whole universe is in chaos. The seers alerted her. They've got a BIG problem, connected to the shanshu prophecy. The vampire with a soul -- champion (there's that word again) -- is supposed to play a major role in the Apocalypse, for good or evil (nobody quite knows which). But the prophecy doesn't name Angel -- and now there are two vampires with souls; both of whom are champions. Spike qualified when he gave his life to save the world. While he was dead, it didn't matter, but now that he's back again, his mere presence is wreaking havoc.

Fred accuses Eve of knowing this the entire time she (Fred) was working on recorporealizing Spike. Eve says she didn't know and asks how they finally did it. They all look around sheepishly. Angel finally admits that Spike got something in the mail. Same way the amulet arrived in the mail. Fred wonders if the Senior Partners might be responsible. Eve doesn't know; all she knows is that the problems with the phones and computers are only a hint of the trouble to come.

Back in Reese's office, Harmony and Spike are going at it. Harmony suddenly vamps out and bites Spike's shoulder. Spike yowls and pulls himself free. He asks what's up with her -- sees her bloody eyes and realizes there's a problem. She accuses him of using her; says she's not his. He backs off, agreeing with her, trying to calm her down. She goes for him again, screaming about how he only cares about his precious Slayer, and he knocks her out.

Meanwhile, security guards have strapped down the still freaking Jerry. Lorne, standing nearby, is telling Angel and Eve about how Jerry clocked him as he came upon him making mince meat out of Reese. Another guard informs Angel there are other fatalities, and Angel orders the building sealed until they figure out the problem.

Eve tells him he knows the problem. The world isn't big enough for him and Spike -- it's unraveling. As she speaks, Spike shows up. He tells Angel what happened with Harmony and that he had to knock her out. Eve repeats that there's only room for one souled vampire champion in these parts.

Spike says fine -- he'll head off to Europe then. Eve tells him she's not talking about LA; she's talking about the entire world. Spike leaving could make things worse. Gunn shows up, shaken. Seems the White Room is gone, which means no contact with the Senior Partners, and a hefty rip in the universe.

Angel reluctantly asks Spike to stay -- Europe will still be there after they've solved this problem. Hopefully. Spike asks how they're supposed to repair a rip in the fabric of the universe. Eve wonders if there's maybe a way to figure out which of them the Shanshu prophecy is about. Angel grumbles that he's been reading the prophecy, and there's nothing to answer that. Spike reminds Angel that it wasn't long ago that Angel told Spike that the prophecy was bogus, and what does it mean that he's now reading it? Gunn points out that they need an expert on the Shanshu text, and Angel reminds him that Wesley isn't there. Eve points out that his department still is though.

A snippy, scholarly type named Sirk informs Angel that Angel did not read the prophecy. He merely read a translation. Sirk points out a newly translated portion that seems to indicate the splitting of the root of a tree into two parts, each of which will seek refreshment from a hidden river. He spouts out several other equally murky phrases, about the balance being disrupted, and concludes by talking about how the souled vampire will drink from the *cup of eternal torment*, and that further torments will be visited upon him until he saves the world or destroys it. After which, said vampire will have a clean slate and live again as a human.

Angel and Spike start squabbling over which of them is the souled vampire in question. Sirk tells them that it will work out the way it's supposed to work out -- whoever is supposed to drink from the cup will be the one to drink from the cup. And once that happens, the universe should realign.

Sirk reads further and informs them that the cup is located in a former opera house in Nevada. Angel resolves to go there -- and realizes that Spike has already left.

Spike steals Angel's Viper and heads out. Angel is barely behind him in another car. Meanwhile, Gunn is trying to hold down the fort at W&H. Angel briefly catches up to Spike near the entrance to the old opera house, but after exchanging a few not-so-pleasantries, Spike is off again.

Back to 1880. William returns to their chambers, to find Angelus deeply involved in sexplay -- with someone who he is horrified to discover is Drusilla. Dru asks if William missed her, and Angelus replies that he definitely must have since Dru is his *destiny*. They both laugh at the hurting, angry young vampire.

Back to the present. Angel catches up with Spike again, as both stare at the very grail-like *cup of perpetual torment*. Spike comments that he's surprised it's so elaborate and fancy, considering what it is. Angel asks what do they do now, and Spike attacks him.

The two start sparring. Spike starts ranting about how they are not the same. That Angel had a soul forced upon him, whereas Spike fought for and earned his soul, even though he almost died a dozen times over in the trials, because it was the right thing to do. Angel retorts that he heard it was to get into someone's panties. A furious Spike moves back on the attack, and they're at it again.

Cut to W&H, where the problems are getting worse. More and more people are being affected. Eve is querying Fred on her progress, when Gunn starts demanding to know why Fred is telling Eve anything. His eyes bloody, he accuses Eve of trying to kill them, and starts to strangle her, then slash her Fred hypos him out for the count.

Back at the opera house, Angel and Spike are still at it. They're taunting each other. Spike tells Angel the prophecy isn't meant for Angel. Nobody knows which side the vamp with a soul will choose, but Angel's already chosen a side -- he allied himself with the evil Wolfram & Hart. Angel says it's more complex than that, but Spike always was an idiot.

Cut back to 1880 again. William tries to attack Angelus, but Angelus is quicker and shoves him up against the wall. Angelus explains that William can take whatever he likes or have whatever he likes, but nothing is actually his. William tells him he's wrong -- he and Drusilla are each other's forever. Angelus tells him -- if he wants her -- try and take her. As William moves to attack Angelus again...

Cut back to the present, where Spike is now beating the crap out of Angel. Spike is ranting about how the real reason that Angel can't stand the very sight of Spike is because he can't stand to remember all the terrible things Spike has done because Angel/us made him a monster. Angel laughs. He tells Spike he merely allowed the real Spike to get out. Spike retorts that Angel never even knew the real Spike -- he was too busy trying to see a mirror image of himself Wanting there to be someone every bit as loathsome as Angel/us in the world so he could stand himself. He -- Spike -- is nothing like Angel/us.

Angel retorts that Spike is less -- which is why Buffy could never love him. Spike retorts that he supposes then that Buffy was actually thinking of Angel every time he (Spike) and Buffy had sex --

And the fight is on again. Angel throws Spike into some wooden crates, which break apart, handing Spike a nicely convenient wooden *stake*. He manages to get the upper hand on Angel and tries to bring the stake down. Angel blocks the blow into his forearm. The two vamps go at it again.

Back at W&H, Fred is helping Eve, whose throat is sore, and who is very shaken. Eve is upset that they all think she's evil and against them. She assures Fred that she is not an enemy.

Back to the battle of the ages. Or the vampires. Spike and Angel are still fighting. Finally, Spike is able to get the advantage, knocking Angel's stake away, and knocking Angel to the ground. He jumps on Angel, preparing to bring his own stake down (slashy entendres not intended. No. Honest.) ... then hesitates momentarily ... then brings the stake down hard. Into Angel's shoulder. He remarks that he probably should have killed Angel, but he didn't want to hear a certain someone complain about it. He heads for the Cup of Perpetual Torment.

Angel staggers up and asks Spike to stop and think. It's not a prize -- it's a terrible burden and one that will consume him. Why is Spike doing this? Does he really want such an awesome, terrible destiny? Or does he just want to take something away from Angel?

Spike thinks for a few seconds -- and then admits it's a bit of both. And drinks. Angel is devastated.

Spike suddenly drops the cup, his face scrunched in horror. Angel moves to him, concerned.

Spike locks eyes with Angel. The cup contained Mountain Dew. Neither vamp is a happy vamp.

Back at W&H, a bashed-up Angel enters the lab, telling Fred he fell down some stairs. Fred admits things are getting worse, and she still hasn't found a way to stop it. Angel tells her the cup turned out to be a fake -- it was a setup. He mentions Sirk -- and Spike, just entering, equally bruised, says Sirk has inconveniently disappeared. As they wonder what to do next, Charles interrupts. He's lucid again, as are the other victims.

Shortly after, in Angel's office, Eve is explaining to Angel, Gunn and Spike that the Senior Partners were able to intervene and temporarily stabilize the universe. Unfortunately, they don't know anything more about Sirk than Angel does. And of course, the whole shanshu thing is still unresolved.

Spike decides he wants to go drinking to celebrate his corporeal body. He invites Gunn, but Gunn politely refuses, saying his head is killing him already. After Spike leaves, Gunn asks if Angel is okay. Angel is deeply troubled. Spike beat him. First time Spike ever beat him. Because Spike wanted it more than Angel did. And what if that means that Angel isn't really the vampire of prophecy after all?