Scene 9
Present
Miranda: (continuing the story) “The next night there was another ‘demon emergency’ of some sort. I went with them and played the part. There was lots of fighting, so it kept my mind off things. When we returned, a fax was waiting—A picture of me from that night, fighting with Angel. So that was that. I suggested that everyone take the next day and night off—we could use a break. All there was left to do was wait—it would take them at least a day to find someone to fight me, I was sure. I wanted to have some fun, in case. It was as good a day as it could be without you—it went by quickly. Angel and I had seen a film—a late show—The Limey. We were walking back to the hotel, when a kid bumped me as he walked by. Angel turned to yell after him, and I saw that he’d dropped small piece of paper on the ground. I reached down and picked it up—it said “9pm tomorrow”. I quickly stuffed it in my pocket. I was sure it was from Alex and it meant that W&H had found someone and that the fight would be then. I didn’t tell Angel. I wanted a quiet end to the day. It was quiet. I slept for a bit, but then snuck out to call you.”
Spike: “You were so strange on the phone that night. I thought maybe you were high or something—spouting off about this and that. I can’t fucking believe you didn’t tell me.”
Miranda: “I wanted to, but I figured that if I lost and I was dead, you’d never have to know anything. It would’ve been alright for you.”
Spike: [pained expression] “It wouldn’t have been alright.”
Miranda: “In the afternoon, I prepared. I felt OK. Almost confident. You never know about these things—sure, they’d find someone they thought could beat me, but I could get lucky. Angel was more on edge than I was. But I’ll tell you something—I don’t think Darla or anything particularly existential entered his head for a minute during that time, so things were good. By 8:30, we still hadn’t heard a word about it—maybe I’d been wrong about the note. Maybe Alex was wrong. But then Cordy got hit with one of her visions.”
**
Commence flashback
Cordy falls back, clutching her head. Gunn is there to catch her.
Angel: “Not exactly great timing.”
Cordelia: “No, it’s the place—where he’s waiting.”
Angel: “Where is it?”
Cordelia: “Parking lot—corner of Park and West. There’s a symbol.”
Miranda: “Can you draw it?”
Cordy nods. They find a pad of paper and a pencil. While Cordy is sketching with Wesley’s help, Miranda, Gunn and Angel talk.
Gunn: “They don’t know you know, right? Playing it a bit close, I’d say. It’s 8:30.”
Angel: “I’d expect them [W&H thugs] to show up any minute. We should go.”
Gunn: “You could make your way to consecrated ground—if you didn’t want to fight, right?”
Miranda: “They’d drag me out—best to get there before they force me. Who knows what they might do to tip the scales.”
Gunn: “Think they’d pull a Gladiator on you?”
Miranda: “Seems in character.”
Angel, frowning with concern, takes hold of Miranda’s arm and pulls her close to him—they touch foreheads and she squeezes his shoulders.
Cordelia: [looking at Wesley’s drawing, excited] “That’s it.”
Wesley: “What’s the significance of the symbol?”
Miranda: “Every Immortal that’s been around has one—we put it on our weapons, possessions, among other things. [She shows them her symbol engraved at the base of her sword] Guess it’s about time to find out who I’m fighting.”
Gunn: “If this were a movie, now’s about the time when our hero says something badass about going into battle.”
Miranda: [(in response to Gunn’s comment) As she walks over to the pad of paper, she scrunches up her nose in a petty sort of way] “I think it’s a bit humid, actually, to die today. Don’t like the thought of being a sweaty corpse, I’ll tell you that. Think maybe I’ll stick around till the air dries a bit.”
Gunn: [laughs] “Now there’s a different take on a tired line...”
Miranda looks at the symbol and her expression falls. She inadvertently lets out a quiet, high-pitched gasp. The blood drains from her face.
Angel: “That bad?”
Miranda: [angry/upset] “There must be a mistake—you must’ve remembered it wrong. It can’t be.”
Gunn: “Who is it?”
Miranda: [thinking out loud] “Or...they must have something on him. Oh, God, this can’t happen. I won’t let it.” [She starts to head for the door. Angel rushes forward and grabs her arm to stop her. She turns back] “It’s Joseph.”
The surprise of this makes Angel loosen his grip and she pulls away. She leaves through the front door, hops on a motorcycle and is off alone.
Wesley: “Joseph. Isn’t he the one who was at the antiques show?”
Gunn: “And the one who helped Miranda out during that whole Drusilla revenge-fest.”
Cordelia: “Isn’t he, like, a thousand years old?”
Angel: “Older.”
Wesley: “Do you think she’s right? That W&H are blackmailing him into this?”
Angel: “Has to be. He’s a good man. No time to figure it all out now—we need to go. If he is being blackmailed, maybe there is something we can do.”
Wesley: “Cordy, do you have any record of Joseph’s last address—when you paid him a visit back when Spike was trying to track Miranda?”
Cordelia: “No, we got rid of everything—but I think I remember. I’d recognize the house if I saw it.”
Angel: “Good. You and Wes go to his house—see what you can find. Maybe what they’ve got is being kept close to home. Gunn, you’re with me. We may not be able to interfere directly, but we sure as hell can keep W&H from hedging their bets.”
They all leave.
**
Flash forward to the parking lot/alley in Cordy’s vision. There is a limousine with typical W&H type looking people (business suits) off to one side.
Miranda rides up on her motorcycle, hastily parks it and marches towards the limo, sword in hand. Suddenly there is a voice from a different direction—she turns to see Joseph, ready with his sword.
Joseph: “Miranda. It is time.”
Miranda: “Joseph, why are you doing this? I thought we were friends.”
Joseph: “Friendship is meaningless in times like these. Raise your sword.”
Miranda: “I will not. You can’t be here of your own accord.”
Joseph: “The circumstances leading us here are irrelevant now. We are Immortals and we will fight with dignity. Raise your sword or I will cut you down.”
Angel and Gunn appear—they must have parked around the corner and walked up.
Miranda: [throwing her sword down on the ground dramatically and forcefully shouts] “I will not fight you.”
Joseph shoots a worried look in the direction of the limo and the armed men standing there to observe them. He steps quickly towards Miranda and knocks her down with a sharp kick to the head. She lands near where her sword fell and as Joseph steps toward her, threatening the death blow with his sword, she grabs hers and twirls it around just in time to intercept the blow. She gets to her feet and they circle each other for a moment.
Joseph: [loudly] “I will kill you, little Angel. [He steps in and they trade blows with their swords, which moves them closer together. In a softer voice] They have my wife and adopted son. They will kill them if we do not fight.”
Hearing this, Miranda takes a deep breath and begins to fight with more fervor. Though convincing to onlookers, she senses that he is holding back. He has the power to take her quickly, but he doesn’t. The next time, they are locked close, he speaks again.
Joseph: “You will win this fight, Miranda. There are things you must do.”
Miranda: “Don’t be silly, Joseph. We’ll stall them—my friends will help.”
Joseph: “It is too late for that. Duncan and I have discussed it. It is for the best.”
Miranda: [confused] “Duncan? Discussed what, exactly?”
Joseph: “You will win and have my power—the timing isn’t perfect, but you can adjust. [pause with more fighting] There is a bag in the adjoining alley (he points with his eyes)—in it is what you’ll need to destroy the information Wolfram and Hart have on all Immortals. Go there after and take care of it. We cannot have them manipulating the Gathering. They do not understand it.”
Interlude of more convincing fighting.
Miranda: “No, Joseph. Who am I to take your life? I am nobody—nothing. My friends...”
Joseph: [not letting her finish] “I’m tired, Miranda. I’m ready. It’s your time now.”
Miranda: [she sees the weight of millennia in his old eyes—he may be ready, but she’s not] “Did I miss a memo or something? All this talk of ‘time’—I’m beginning to think I don’t have the same watch as everyone else. There’s got to be another way.”
Joseph: [resigned] “Do this. Save them if you can. Some things are more important.”
They continue to fight. Gunn and Angel are mesmerized. They are temporarily snapped out of it by a phone call. It’s Wesley—W&H are keeping Joseph’s wife and son hostage in their home. They’ve been listening in on what is happening in the house—as soon as they get the signal from the guy in the parking lot, they’re going to kill them. Wesley starts spouting off about a plan to interrupt the cell phone signal to give them time for a rescue, when the battle between Miranda and Josephs starts to heat up.
Joseph: “You’re good—more skilled than I expected. You’ll do well with this power—you will be an asset.”
Miranda: “Don’t they [W&H] know that I couldn’t win against you? Won’t they be suspicious?”
Joseph: “They do not understand everything. Position yourself to get the bag—signal your friends if you can, to protect you from them.” [indicating the W&H thugs by the limo]
Miranda looks very distressed, but continues to fight with her all. Then the moment comes with Joseph makes a cut in the wrong direction and gets thrown off balance. This is the time. She sees the vague-est hint of smile on his lips as she swings the final blow. Ah, the Quickening will interfere with the signal—he must have known that. Miranda drops to her knees by the body—touching it gently before the energy overwhelms her. The electric power rushing through her is more than she’s ever experienced. When it’s over, she sees Angel and Gunn dispatching the henchmen. Miranda runs to find the bag. She quickly scans the contents and then rushes over to A & G. They all look as if they’re about to talk at once; but then none of them speaks and there is a strange silence as they all just stand there. Miranda is the first to speak (the others are still in a bit of shock over the whole Quickening thing, having never seen it).
Miranda: “They’ve got his family somewhere...”
Angel: “At his house—Wes and Cordy are there.”
Miranda: “Angel, go help them. Bring the woman and boy back to the hotel—we’ll need to protect them if they are still alive. Gunn, you’re with me. We’re going to blow up a few things at Wolfram & Hart—you up for that?”
Gunn: “Hell yeah.”
But instead of moving, they all just stand there for a beat again—like they’re catching their breath or something, or almost have too much energy to move.
Angel: “So I guess we should...”
M & G at the same time: “Yeah”
They head off.
Miranda and Gunn go to Wolfram and Hart. There are two things they need to do: 1st get to a computer terminal. In the bag is a disc with a virus-type thing that will infiltrate the system and eradicate all the computer files having to do with Immortals. 2nd is to physically detonate the charges that have already been placed by Joseph to get rid of the hard copies and back-ups. [Ok, so this is all very unlikely, but whatever—I didn’t put much thought into it]. The two of them manage to pull it off. I picture Miranda and Gunn working well together and actually getting along rather well—unlikely as that seems on paper. Anyway, they finish the job and head back to the hotel. Gunn is all pumped having just blown up a fraction of W&H and eagerly heads inside to tell the others. Miranda opts to stay outside for a minute to have a smoke—Gunn thinks about objecting, but then realizes there’s more going on than her just needing a cigarette. He goes on in. She sits on a bench in the garden (?) and lights up—her hands are shaking, along with most of her body. Actually, it’s more like buzzing than shaking—you can still see little flicks of light dancing across her skin periodically. After a few minutes, Angel comes outside to find her. He walks over to where she’s sitting, but doesn’t say anything for a minute or two—he keeps his distance. She is the first to speak.
Miranda: “Are they...??”
Angel: “Alive—yeah. We got there in time. They’re inside.” [Miranda nods her head] “The fight was...amazing—you were amazing.”
Miranda: [Not what she wanted to hear, she lets out a slightly bitter laugh] “He let me win. It was a set up.”
Angel: [a bit surprised by this, but seeing she’s upset, he doesn’t question] “Are you OK?”
Miranda: [a bit manic] “I don’t know how to answer that. My body is buzzing, my head is swirling; One second I am overwhelmed with guilt and despair, the next I’m filled with an elation unlike anything you can imagine, and then comes the fear. [tears start to flow] This changes everything. Bastards—how could they do this to me?”
Angel: “If it’s one thing I’ve learned during my time in L.A.—Wolfram and Hart don’t take kindly to...”
Miranda: [not letting him finish] “Not them. Duncan and Joseph.”
Angel: [seriously confused] “Didn’t they just save your life?”
Miranda: “You don’t understand. They’ve sucked me into their world of Immortal politics and whatever else I’ve managed to avoid in my 140 years. Before, I wasn’t even a player—I could slip beneath the radar for the most part. Sure, I’d been hassled, but I didn’t have enough power to be bothered by the big boys. Killing Joseph has shot me straight to the top of the hit-list. It’s like going from working in the mailroom to being the bloody CEO in a single promotion. So now, not only am I a Player, but I’m an easy target. They’ll come from all over—I’ll have to...”
Angel: [It’s his turn to interrupt her—she’s just working herself into a frenzy.] “So you got something you don’t think you deserve.”
Miranda: “Deserve? It’s not about whether I deserve it or not. You’re rather obsessed with that concept, aren’t you? It’s just...”
Angel: [trying to clam her] “shhhhh. It’s not worth thinking about right now. They did what they thought was best.”
Miranda: [She nods, but the tears are still flowing.] “I didn’t want to kill him.”
Angel: “I know.”
Miranda: [looking at him, desperately] “I can’t face them. I can’t go in there.”
Angel: “Yes you can. You only did what you had to.”
Miranda: “But I killed her husband. [Clutching her stomach, as if she’s just been stabbed there] I know what that feel’s like.”
Angel: [wiping away her tears] “They asked to see you. You can do this.”
She leans forward, putting her arms around his neck and he pulls her into a tight hug for just a moment—you can still see tears in her eyes as she rests her head on his shoulder. After a moment she takes a deep breath and pulls back. She gives a nod, indicating that she’ll go and she stands up.
Miranda: “Angel. Just so you know, the next 24 hours are likely to be a bit odd. Between the conflicting and yet rather intense feelings of my body, heart and mind, I think we’re in for some serious mood swings.”
Angel: “You forget that I dated a teenage girl for two years—I’m pretty comfortable with mood swings.” [This gets a little smile from Miranda—and it’s a genuine one.]
They walk into the hotel together. Cordy is just getting Joseph’s widow a cup of tea—she’s sitting on the couch in the lobby. The boy (~15) is leaning against the front counter. As Miranda enters the room, she flinches slightly and looks a bit surprised. The son notices her first and stands up straight and watches her walk towards him. The woman also stands as she approaches.
Miranda: [almost under her breath] “He’s going to be an Immortal.” [indicating the boy, who at this, stands up taller]
Widow: “Yes—when the time comes.”
Miranda: [curious] “How...?”
Widow: “Soon after we were married, we found him—a toddler in a foster home. Joseph knew what he was immediately and so we took him in. [holding out her hand] My name is Lydia and this is my son, Roger.”
Miranda steps forward to the woman and takes her hand.
Miranda: [heartfelt] “I’m so sorry.”
Lydia: [looking at Miranda with pity] “It’s alright, dear. We knew what to expect. He said you were a good person—that you were worthy.”
Miranda: “I lost a husband once—I know that you can’t really prepare.”
Lydia: “I loved him dearly. But I was one of hundreds of wives—he’d lived so many lifetimes. He was tired of it all. Weary, I suppose is the better word. There were times when he couldn’t remember my name. I understood. Given a choice, I would have kept him with me a little longer, but sometimes things just happened when they happen. I wanted you to know that it’s Ok—we don’t blame you for his death. All we ask is that you be worthy of it.” [With that, she squeezes Miranda’s hand and lets it go.]
Miranda: [nods] “Where will you go?”
Lydia:“We’d made plans of our own—we’ll be fine. Joseph made sure we’d be safe.”
Miranda: “How old are you, Roger?”
Roger: “Fifteen and a half.”
Miranda: “Well, then, I’m sure your father would’ve wanted you to have this.”
She pulls out Joseph’s sword that she’d taken with her from the parking lot and hands it to the boy.
Roger: [taking it; in awe] “He never let me touch it. Sometimes he’d say I shouldn’t bother with it. Any of it. [excited] Will you teach me?”
Lydia: “Roger! You know we have to leave.” [deep frown from Roger]
Miranda: [to Roger] “Maybe someday.”
Lydia: “He might not choose that path—he doesn’t have to become one of you.”
Miranda: “Others might choose for him.”
They say their goodbyes and Lydia and Roger head off.
Miranda: [to Cordy, Wes and Angel] “Thanks for getting them out.”
Wesley: “That is what we do around here.”
Gunn: [a bit sheepish] “Sorry, but I gotta ask. What’s the deal with all the fireworks back there?”
Wesley: “Fireworks?”
Gunn: “After she, uh, won the fight, there was this huge electrical thingamajig swirling around—broke all the windows, shorted out the powerlines and them phoosh it hit her like a lightening bolt and then it was gone.”
Miranda: “Not gone exactly.”
As she says this, she takes a weapon/knife that was sitting on the table and makes a quick cut in her arm—instantly little flashes of light appear and within a few seconds the wound is gone.
Gunn: “So it’s inside you?”
Cordelia: “freaky”
Wesley: “Where does it come from?”
Miranda: “Embarrassingly, I don’t exactly know. It’s set loose whenever an Immortal is killed and is taken in by the Immortal closest to the body.”
Wesley: “So it’s like a life force?”
Miranda: “Something like that.”
Gunn: “What does it feel like?”
Miranda: [thinks about it for a moment and you can tell she’s still feeling it] “Like a mixture of heroine and Ecstasy—with no weird interactive side-affects.” [as she says this, she closes her eyes slightly]
Gunn: “huh”
Cordelia: “Translation for those of us who didn’t hang with the burnouts in high school?”
Wesley: “Really, really good.” [C rolls her eyes]
After a bit more ‘debriefing’, the gang disperses—Cordy, Wes and Gunn head home, leaving Angel and Miranda.
Miranda mentions offhand that he might be able to share in the feeling she has right now (implying he could bite her and feel the effects of the Quickening)—he just gives her a sideways look and changes the subject. She comments that she is bursting with energy and asks if they can go out for a drink. They end up going to Caritas. In summary, Lorne meets Miranda. He compliments her on her effect on Angel’s Aura, which has now gone from beige-y black to a blue-ish black (yes, bruise color)—she says she’s trying for purple. They have a couple of drinks (actually, Angel sips one, Miranda has more). Miranda sings. A demon buys Miranda a drink—he notices her cowboy boots and asks if she’s the one they call ‘The Marshall’—he clarifies ‘the one who took out Phil’s and Drusilla’s gang’. Turns out, he’s an enemy of Phil’s and so he buys her a drink. After a while, they leave. She’s still wired and they end up staying up all night and the next morning talking. He gets a bit of sleep, but she’s still buzzing.
Scene 10
Later That night, Miranda decides to take something to help her sleep while Angel and Gunn go off on some job. She’s down in Angel’s room and after taking probably too many of the pills, she is finally sleeping. She’s dreaming and from the look of her, it’s a sexy dream. Suddenly, Darla appears in the doorway. She saunters over to the bed—she somehow must have known that Angel was out and Miranda would be sleeping, alone. Darla scans the room and seeing Miranda’s sword resting against the wall, she grabs it and moves back towards the bed. She gently moves the covers back and one of Miranda’s arms so that she now has a clear, unobstructed path to her neck—obviously the plan is to cut off her head with the sword. But, once M’s neck is exposed, Darla tilts her head and you can see her thinking “Maybe I’ll just have a taste—seems a waste of blood otherwise”. So she kneels on the bed and moves in for the bite. As soon as her teeth sink into Miranda’s neck and she starts drinking, Miranda moans (in pleasure): “mmm, Spike”. Darla pulls back in shock/confusion for just a moment. But now, Miranda is awake enough to know what’s happening and she takes the opportunity to elbow Darla off the bed. Darla tries to jump back up, but she’s had enough of M’s blood to feel a bit drugged herself. They have a ridiculous looking fight/struggle for the sword as both of them are wobbly on their feet and so stagger around like drunks. Finally, Miranda gets the upper hand and somehow manages to tie Darla (not very well) to a chair—luckily, Darla is drugged enough to not realize that she can’t break free. Miranda climbs back into the bed and reaches for the phone. Sleepily, she stares at it for a minute.
[Writer’s note: Miranda doesn’t actually know whether she said Spike’s name out loud or if it was just part of the dream. Also, when reading this conversation between Darla and Miranda, keep in mind that they are both a bit drugged, i.e., they should sound a tad bit drunk.]
Miranda: [in a drunken/sleepy voice] “Do you know his cell number?”
Darla: [laughing a superior laugh] “I know everything about him.”
Miranda: “Could you give it me, then?”
Darla: “And why would I do that?”
Miranda: “You SO don’t know it. He never gave it to you, did he?”
Darla: “Did so.”
Miranda: “mm hm. I’d bet you didn’t even know he had a cell phone.”
Darla: “Everyone’s got a cell phone.”
Miranda: “So what’s his number then?”
Darla: “Why would I tell you?”
Miranda: “To prove that you have it—so that I will take that to mean that you were more to him than a convenient fuck. And maybe be the tiniest bit jealous.”
Darla: “I don’t have to prove anything.”
Miranda: “Ok. I’ll just look it up then. [mumbles] I knew you didn’t fucking have it.”
She stumbles to her feat and starts looking around for her handbag.
Darla: “555 6978”
Miranda: “Thank you. [she dials] I’m not jealous, by the way.” [someone picks up] “s’that Gunn? Put Angel on. Oh, right. Um, give him a message for me? Yeah, Darla’s here. Tried to kill me. I’ve tied her up and I’m going back to bed. Yep, that’s it. Right O. Cheers.” [She hangs up and leans back into the pillow—she’s very dizzy and is about to drift off to sleep. In a minute, the phone rings.] “Hello? Angel—thought it might be you. Yeah, Darla. Yup. I imagine she was going to cut off my head with my sword, but then decided to have a taste first. Yep. Sure she could have. She’s acting a bit off, so she must’ve taken a fair bit—I took a few of those little blue pills I have to help me sleep. Yep. Tied to a chair. I’m very tired. Think I’ll catch a few z’s till you get here. It’ll be fine. See you in a bit.” [she hangs up and then says to Darla] “He’ll be here to kill you shortly.”
Darla: [laughs at this] “Doubtful—he’s not so good at that.”
Miranda: “Yeah. Men are pathetic in that way, aren’t they? In the absence of immediate danger, they always hesitate at the critical moment.”
Darla: “Lucky for us.”
Miranda: “Guess we take what we can get. S’not like they don’t have all the other advantages.”
Darla: “Oh, I don’t know. We do Ok.”
Miranda: [smiling] “Yeah, we do.”
Darla: “Just out of curiosity, why tie me up—why not just finish the job yourself if you’re so keen to have me dead?”
Miranda: “First, I’m not actually so keen to see you dead. Honestly, aside from the attempted beheading, I don’t have a particular problem with you at all. We’re simply after opposite sides of the same thing.”
Darla: “May the best pro win?”
Miranda: “Something like that.”
Darla: “And second?”
Miranda: “Oh, right. I have a policy about that. I don’t kill girlfriends—ex or otherwise. [adding, matter a fact] Well, except for Dru, but...[catching herself—eyes widening] Dru...Carey.”
Darla: [skeptical] “Drew Carey. The guy from tv.”
Miranda: [defensive] “Maybe. You wouldn’t believe the things that man is capable of.”
Darla: “Or maybe, you’ve got a thing for vampires—a certain bleach blond with a wicked tongue?”
Miranda: “Speaking of blondes, has Angel always had a thing for ‘em? There’s you and Buffy and...? Has he had other girlfriends?”
Darla: [palpable distaste in her words] “Buffy. I never understood what he saw in that little-girl cheerleader.”
Miranda: “Oh, come on. Don’t tell me you never had to play that game back in the day. Men like them young and virginal—especially the strapping hero types.”
Darla: [eye roll and then smirk] “You’re certainly not that. I’d bet you’ve been around the block a few times. Hm, now what kind of vampire would prefer that kind of girl?”
Miranda: [still trying to change the subject] “So tell me—did he ever, you know, call out Buffy’s name when you two were...”
Darla: “Please. He’d be a lot deader if he had.”
Miranda: “Yeah, I guess he wouldn’t. I mean, he actually loved her, so it’s not as if he’d be in quite the same frame of mind when he was with you.”
Darla: [burn, then smile] “Nice try. You know, if you weren’t distracting my boy with your make-believe hero-trip, I think we could be friends.”
Miranda: “Doubtful. I like my vampires a touch less evil.”
Darla: [smiling] “Is that right? I hear Spike has gone a bit evil-lite lately—least that was Dru’s take.”
Miranda: “Yeah, well Dru was a nutcase and he was much better off...[catching herself] Why am I still talking to you? I should be sleeping.”
Darla: “Spike was never my type, but...”
Miranda: [anything to change the subject] “What about Lindsey? You two knocking boots?”
Darla: “He wishes.”
Miranda: “That he does. And, you know, he’s kinda cute and almost evil. I think you kids would...”
Darla: “What was I saying? Oh right, Spike...”
Miranda: [losing her guard a bit] “I believe we were still discussing Lindsey. You know, I hear he’s got a big...”
Darla: “Got a bit of a thing for my boy William, do you? Isn’t that sweet.”
Miranda: “Why don’t we get back to Angel—what’s your secret?”
Darla: “Professional to professional, it’s all in the nose. Pheromones, baby. Gets a whiff and he’s like putty in my hands. Well, not putty for long. But getting back to Spike...”
Miranda: “I really should get some sleep now. Angel will be here in a minute—he’ll dust you once and for all and I can...”
Darla: “Skip town?”
Miranda: [a bit too defensive] “No. NO! I’m staying right here.”
Darla: “I’ll tell you something. I tend to like my men big, quiet and not very bright, so Spike and I never really hit it off. But...there were times when I found myself admiring his lips. Very kissable—bitable, don’t you think? I can almost taste them now.”
In her drugged state, Miranda can’t hide her reaction to this image and lets out a slight whimper as she abruptly sits on the bed.
Miranda: “I’m going to sleep now. No, wait. I’m moving you outside, locking the door and THEN I’m going to sleep.”
She does all this. Of course, by the time Angel and Gunn return to the hotel, Darla has escaped. Miranda is fast asleep.