"Buffy, how are you feeling?"

"Hi Giles, I'm good." Jay licked her collarbone, making her twitch slightly.

"Excellent, did you get enough rest?" He asked in concerned parent mode.

"I slept like the dead." She replied, making Jay snort.

Giles winced, "Buffy please."

"Sorry." She said unrepentantly.

Buffy ran her fingers through Jay's hair, loving the silkiness of it and he smiled up at her. "Giles, where are you anyway?"

"I'm at the Hyperion. Dr. Jackson gave me your phone number."

"How's Angel?" Jay sat up slightly, listening intently to the conversation now.

"Distraught, confused. However you do not need to come. Between Wesley and myself we should be able to sort him out."

Buffy looked over at Jay, "Is he talking to Cordelia?"

Silence, then a quiet "No."

"I'm coming over to talk to him."

"What?" Jay asked, his voice raising slightly.

Buffy leaned over to cup his face, "I have to."

Giles heard their conversation, "Are you sure Buffy?"

Buffy could see the stubbornness is Jay's eyes, "I'm going with you."

"Yeah Giles. We'll be there after breakfast." Buffy hung up the phone and eyed him doubtfully, "Are you sure? I mean, you really don't want to deal with a broody vamp and an overwrought Cordy."

Jay shuddered theatrically, "I'm not, you are. I'm just there as support for you."

Laughing at him she threw her arms around him for hug. They showered and dressed ate breakfast with SG-1. They arranged for Jay to go back with them to Colorado Springs after Jay and Buffy went to the Hyperion.

They were packing quickly when Jay sighed, looking down at his bag for a moment.

"Jay?" Buffy asked.

"We're going to be apart again." His eyes met hers and she knew that it hurt him as much as it hurt her to be apart.

"Yeah, we're going to have to talk soon." She replied seriously.

A bang on their door made them jump, "Come on Lovebirds! Time to get on the road!"

"Just a sec!" Buffy called back, grabbing a couple of things to pack.

"Just sex?" Jack called back, "You don't have time! Our ride's here!" Jack smiled as he heard Buffy's laughter though the hotel door.

Angel gazed blankly out of his tinted windows at the busy Los Angeles street below. To put not too fine a point on it, he was depressed. Why did he have a soul? Why was it so precarious? Why was love the same. Buffy. He knew that his love for her would be his undoing…and he wouldn't change it for the world. How sappy was that?

"Don't sweat it kid."

Angel swung around in surprise to see Whistler, sometime demon and now messenger for the Powers that Be tentatively poking at an antique Gaelic dagger on a shelf.

"Whistler."

"How's it going Big Guy?"

"Terrible."

"So, lost your soul again?"

Angel rolled his eyes and turned back to the windows to brood.

Whistler meandered over to look out of the second window, "I guess you have some questions about why and stuff?"

A knock made them turn and Buffy strode in, looking like the Buffy of old, leather pants, boots and a cream colored blouse that accentuated her hair and angry pink in her cheeks. Angel caught a quick glimpse of Jay in the hallway before the door shut.

"Hello Whistler, here to torture Angel some more?" Buffy demanded tartly before looking Angel over to see how he was.

"Now Blondie, that's not nice."

She spun back around, "What's not nice is that Angel's soul is like a slippery fish that keeps jumping out of its tank to flop on the floor!"

Both men stared, then laughed. Angel actually snorted.

Eyeing them impatiently she tapped a foot, "It's not funny!"

Angel sobered up first, "Sorry."

"It's not all bad you know." Whistler grinned, "There are no more clauses in the Gypsy curse."

Buffy stared, "Not all bad? People died! Why can't the Powers that Be stop yanking Angel's chain and let him get on with his life…death, unlife..um..you know what I mean."

Hearing Buffy's raised voice Jay poked his head in, "Ok in here?" His eyes went to Buffy whose face was red.

Whistler smiled and started to walk over, "You must be Buffy's Colonel. Pleased to meet you, I'm Whistler." He held out his hand but Buffy moved quickly between them.

"Uh uh. You can keep Jay out of your grand schemes." She said.

Whistler met the Colonel's calm dark eyes with a speculative look of his own, "It's too late Blondie. He's in already to his neck. Besides, he has you and his friend to help him with all of this stuff."

Cocking his head curiously Jay regarded the snappily dressed man, "Do you mean Daniel?" Jay knew all about Daniel's ascension, he had missed his friend terribly for the almost year that he was gone.

Snapping his fingers Whistler nodded, "Dr. Daniel Jackson, he's the one!"

Buffy kept herself staunchly between Whistler and Jay, "I love him and I won't let the Powers that Be mess with him. I may be their warrior but that's where it stops!" Her voice was firm, her face calm but her eyes were filled with terror barely concealed.

Jay could feel the tension snapping through Buffy's slender body and placed his hands on her shoulders, unconsciously soothing her. "I have a job already but you can tell them thanks for me." He gently told Whistler.

Shaking his head Whistler smiled wryly, "Before long you both will be warriors for the light. As will Daniel and Jack, the alien and that pretty Sam." He slanted a look at Angel, "Be prepared. Your lesson is finished, find out what you have learned." He said cryptically and disappeared.

Jay huffed out a quiet sigh, "You've got some kind of weird friends."

"Hey." Angel protested and Jay met the vampires' eyes with a smile.

"I'm going back out, Ok?" he looked over at Buffy who nodded. Angel watched the man leave quietly.

"Buffy I'm sorry.." he began.

"Angel, what's done is done. No more brooding ok."

Angel shrugged, "It's what I do best."

Buffy threw up her hands, "Angel! Get over it! Or do what Spike did and control the damn demon."

"I'm not Spike!" Angel thundered, abruptly angry.

"You're right! You're not. He didn't have a soul when he decided to help us fight evil. He didn't have a soul when he promised me he would take care of Dawnie! He had his demon and still did good, why can't you?" she shouted back, her eyes hot.

Angel jerked back as if slapped. "It's not the same, he had the chip."

Buffy made a disgusted noise, "Oh yeah, the chip helped him fall in love with me. The chip helped him make friends with Dawnie and protect her. I don't think so! He made a choice, and if he could do it then so can you!" She paused as Jay came in again, hearing the last part of the argument since it was at the top of Buffy's lungs.

"He already did."

"What?" Both Angel and Buffy turned to Jay.

"I was thinking about what Whistler said, you know, about Angel's lesson learned? He started out bad, Angelus did, then told us where you were, or rather had Clem tell us. He could've have killed you at any time, or turned you at any time but he knew Will would stop him. He counted on it." Jay stated, watching the two of the gaping at him.

Buffy narrowed her eyes at Angel, her face thoughtful, "Jay's right. You controlled the demon, hence the 'lesson learned.' "

Angel was still gaping as the memories flashed though him. The demon Angelus was silenced inside him and he knew the truth. If he could control it that much, then he could now control the demon all of the way.

"Colonel, if you weren't a guy I'd marry you."

Now Jay gaped and Buffy collapsed into whoops of laughter. Angel shared a grin with Buffy.

Wesley cautiously poked his head in and felt relief at the laughter and the smile on Angel's face. Angel waved him in still chuckling at the look on Jay's face. Finally Jay gave a disapproving snort at the two of them, "Ok funny guys, cut it out, and Angel, you are so not my type."

This set Buffy off again and Angel grinned, "Ditto Colonel."