---

Angel is in his office. He winds up an old mantle clock and sets it on the desk. The time on the clock is 8:53. He puts a pencil on one end of the desk and observes it roll across the surface.

Cordelia and Doyle are watching Angel from the outer office. Cordelia asks Doyle when Angel got back into town. Doyle answers it was late the previous night. Cordy wants to know how he seemed. Doyle says things seemed to be fine.

Cordelia gives a brief exposition for what happened on the "Pangs" episode of BtVS which sets up this episode of "Angel".

Angel had gone to Sunnydale to follow up on Doyle's vision of Buffy in trouble. He was there for three days, shadowing her, helping her out in the final fight but without her knowledge. She never knew he had been there until Xander accidentally spilled the beans after Angel had gone back to LA.

Cordelia is still watching Angel working on adjusting his desk, she wonders why Angel isn't all broody and miserable. She thinks this means that his seeing Buffy cut him deeper than usual.

Doyle suggests maybe Angel is over her now and that's why his reaction seems mellower than Cordelia expected.

Cordy informs Doyle he has a lot to learn but before she can educate him she sees Angel take a stake out of his desk.

Cordelia and Doyle rush into the office. Cordelia frantically tells Angel not to stake himself. Doyle tells him it's not worth it.

Cordelia says he has to stop letting Buffy make him crazy. She thinks he'll meet someone new, he just needs to give it more time.

Doyle extends his hand and suggests Angel give him the stake.

Angel says he can't, as he puts the stake under one leg of his desk, because he needs it to level it up. Angel grins at the realization of what Cordy and Doyle thought he had intended to do with the stake. He asks if they really thought -- when he's cut off by Cordelia saying that Doyle thought so, since Angel had seen Buffy. Cordelia points out that Doyle is always jumping to conclusions.

Angel tells them both that his visit to Sunnydale wasn't a social event. He went there to protect Buffy. She never even knew he was in town.

Cordelia expresses her surprise at that revelation.

Angel responds that things between him and Buffy haven't changed, she will always be a part of him but the circumstances that keep them apart, her being human and him not, remain. They had already said their farewells and he saw nothing to be gained by opening old wounds.

Cordelia understands he didn't want to bring up painful matters but she says if she were in Buffy's place and found out her ex had come to town and followed her around, looking after her but not bothering to let her know he was around she'd feel -- before she can finish the thought she is interrupted by Buffy, who is standing at the open doorway to the offices. She finishes Cordelia's sentence for her, "upset."

---

Cordelia is surprised to see Buffy in town, she stammers for words, finally asking why Buffy is there.

Buffy responds that she came to visit her dad, she looks at Angel and says she thought she'd pay a visit.

In a vain attempt to make small talk, Cordy asks Buffy how she's doing.

Buffy answers that she's been better, while giving Angel a stern glare.

Cordelia hurriedly introduces Buffy to Doyle, but before Doyle can say much, she drags him out of the office to leave Buffy and Angel alone.

Buffy closes the door as Cordelia and Doyle leave. She turns back to look at Angel who seems to be looking everywhere except at her.

Angel stumbles for something to say, asking if he can offer Buffy anything.

She responds that an explanation would be good. She wants to know what he thought he was doing coming to her town, shadowing her and not even bothering to let her know he was there.

Angel offers an apology for that. Buffy accuses him of simply trying to torment her. Angel denies that.

Buffy demands to know what game is being played now that allows Angel to see her but doesn't permit her to see him.

Angel assures her he wasn't playing any kind of game. He thought hard on whether or not to tell her he was there and made the decision not to say anything, thinking that would be for the best.

Buffy is upset that he made the decision unilaterally, that she wasn't allowed any say in the matter.

Angel continues to defend his actions, telling her he only tried to do what was right, the situation was complicated.

Buffy summarizes the situation as Angel's friend had a vision, she was in it, Angel came to Sunnydale.

A noticeably uncomfortable Angel admits that sums it up.

Buffy thinks Angel didn't feel she was important enough to be told that he was in town.

He counters, saying the opposite is true, it's because she's important to him that he kept his whereabouts from her.

Buffy coldly assures him she's grown up now, she's been through changes since he left.

Angel acknowledges that he knows this and respects it.

Buffy continues, telling him she doesn't need him lurking in the shadows, trying to protect her.

Angel looks away from her.

Buffy looks away briefly then back to Angel and finally admits that she was in a tough fight in Sunnydale and doesn't necessarily resent the fact he helped in that circumstance, if it was indeed Angel who had helped her.

Angel admits he was there, explaining he was just lurking in the neighborhood.

---

Doyle and Cordelia are in the outer office. Doyle mentions that Buffy seemed to be a little "hurt".

Cordy informs him that's the way it is with Buffy and Angel and tells Doyle time to go. He asks where. She reckons they'll have time for coffee and probably a really long movie before Buffy and Angel are finished with each other.

---

Angel apologizes for handling things in a way that Buffy disagrees with, but tells her he really didn't know any better way.

Buffy's anger seems to be subsiding. She tells him she feels his presence whenever he's close to her, whether she sees him or not. She finds this disconcerting and distracting.

Angel admits she has the same effect on him.

Buffy figures it's best for both of them to keep their distance from each other, until enough time has passed that they should be able to --- Angel finishes the thought for her with "forget." Buffy agrees, tells Angel she's going to start forgetting and turns to leave.

Suddenly, a green demon dressed in samurai-like garb breaks through the office window behind Angel.

Angel turns, the demon kicks him in the head sending him sprawling onto the desk. Angel rolls off the desk just in time to avoid the demon's sword slicing through the air, slamming onto the desk, where Angel had been.

Buffy screams Angel's name and enters the fray. She kicks the demon, sending it backward, into the wall.

Angel tosses a battle ax at it which misses its intended target.

---

In the outer office, Doyle asks Cordy if she hears the commotion. She tells Doyle that's the way things are with Buffy and Angel; first they talk, then they fight.

Doyle thinks they should check it out.

Cordelia assures him a fight where the vampire and the Slayer are hashing out their differences is not a place he wants to find himself in the middle.

Cordelia and Doyle leave the office.

---

Buffy and Angel are still dealing with the demon.

As the demon struggles with Buffy, Angel slides across the floor, getting between Buffy and the demon, picks up the demon's sword and plunges it into its stomach. Fluorescent green liquid runs from the wound, down the blade of the sword, onto Angel's hand.

The demon falls back, sending Buffy tumbling and landing on top of Angel. It pulls the sword out of itself and jumps out the window.

Buffy and Angel both look uncomfortably at each other as they disentangle themselves and get up off of the floor.

Buffy wonders if Angel is familiar with this demon.

He tells her that was the first time he saw it.

Buffy thinks they should find it and finish it.

Angel agrees.

---

Buffy and Angel are in the sewer tunnels, tracking the demon. Angel says that it's going for the ocean. Buffy wonders how he knows this. He tells her that it's been wounded, he can smell its blood.

Buffy remarks sarcastically that's a handy talent to have. She offers that it would have been nice if his "staff" had stuck around rather than take off as soon as trouble started, perhaps they could have done some research on this demon so they'd have a better idea of what they were going after.

Buffy spins around at the sound of rustling, stake at the ready.

Angel points out that it was just a rat and asks Buffy why she brought a stake, the demon they are after isn't a vampire.

Buffy replies it's a weapon she's comfortable with and thinks it's a better choice than the ax Angel has brought along.

Angel suggests that the demon could take a whack at the stake with that big sword it was packing and take part of Buffy's hand along with it.

Buffy is getting a little testy, she wants to get this finished before nightfall. Angel assures her he can handle this without her help. Buffy wants to repay the debt since he helped her with the Chumash spirit back in Sunnydale.

Angel isn't happy that Buffy considers his helping her a debt to be repaid. He walks on ahead of her.

Buffy asks if he's getting anything, she only smells sewage.

Angel sees some of the fluorescent green liquid on the wall, touches it with his fingers and smells it. Without saying anything he heads down the tunnel. Buffy follows.

Angel enters a junction in the tunnel, stops, looking like he's not feeling quite right. Buffy notices and asks if he's okay. He says he feels strange.

Buffy thinks he means that it feels strange being with her, a being together but not being together sort of thing. She admits she feels the same way, that she came to see him to tell him they couldn't see each other anymore, then the demon attack thing, then the being on the floor on top of Angel thing and she finds it very disconcerting just being around him.

Angel looks a bit uncomfortable, realizing she misunderstood what he meant. He clarifies that he meant it felt strange physically, something about the demon's blood on his hand, it felt very potent.

Buffy looks slightly embarrassed and tells him to just forget she said anything.

Angel doesn't let it drop, telling her he agrees, it is confusing being close to her, more than that he finds it unbearable. He says it's easier to deal with the pain of their separation when there is physical distance between them. As he's talking to her, he's moving closer, she's also moving toward him. The intensity of feelings between them is obvious.

Buffy agrees that they have to endure, they have no choice. Nothing has changed, they can't make it work.

Angel agrees, he can't give her the life a "normal" girl would want.

Buffy moves closer, reaffirming things have to be the way they are, no matter how much they miss each other. As the sexual tension escalates between them, she tells him they can't let anything happen there and now because circumstances are the same. They would only have to break up yet again.

Angel reminds her that's the best scenario. There are even worse possibilities.

Buffy turns away, likening the conversation to the previous talk in the sewer when he first told her he was leaving Sunnydale. She wasn't keen on having another painful talk in a similar environment.

Angel apologizes. Buffy goes into snit mode and tells him that there's something good waiting for her in Sunnydale, that her life is actually looking up since --

Angel finishes her sentence, since he left. He tells her that's why he left, he wanted her to have all those things that he couldn't give her --

Buffy cuts him off, wanting to end this conversation and just get on with the business of finding and killing the demon. She sees a ladder that leads up to an exit from the tunnels and into the daylight. She wonders if the demon took that route.

Angel thinks it's possible, since the demon would know he couldn't follow it into the sun.

Buffy tells him she'll take care of it as she starts to climb up the ladder. She has her back to Angel, who reaches out to touch her but pulls his hand back before making contact. He tells her he'd rather she not take the demon on by herself.

Buffy responds that it's best for all concerned, she can handle it.

Angel pauses a moment, then tells her to check out a place called the "Lone Bar", demons go there for aid sometimes.

Buffy heads up the ladder.

He reminds her to be careful.

---

Angel is still searching through the tunnel, behind him two eyes glow in the darkness, watching.

Angel travels through the tunnels a bit further, still looking for the demon which which suddenly charges him from behind, cutting the palm of Angel's hand as he turns to defend himself.

Angel looks at the cut on his hand, morphs into game face and attacks the demon.

During the ensuing battle, the demon manages to chop the business end off of Angel's ax. Angel knocks the demon's sword out of its hand.

The demon pulls a dagger and the fight continues, the demon armed with the dagger, Angel fending him off with what's left of the ax.

Finally, Angel grabs the demon's hand and turns the dagger in it on the demon, driving the dagger into its chest, the blood from the wound covers Angel's hand. The demon falls to the ground as Angel looks at the fluorescent green demon blood on his cut palm.

The demon blood sinks into the cut, closing it immediately. A bright light encompasses Angel's entire body as he drops to his knees.

Angel stands up suddenly, gasping for breath. The sound of a heartbeat fills the air. He looks at his hand where the demon's blood had entered through the cut on his palm and realizes what has just happened. He's alive.

---

Doyle and Cordelia return to the office. Doyle notices Angel's office is in shambles.

Cordelia bolts past him, shocked at seeing a pile of dust on the floor. She thinks Buffy has dusted Angel. She picks up some of the dust, relieved. She tells Doyle that it wasn't what she thought it was. She realizes she forgot to sweep under the rug.

Doyle doesn't appreciate her scaring him like that.

The door opens and Angel enters, looking somewhat stunned.

Cordelia wants to know what happened, if he had sex with Buffy.

Doyle walks cautiously up to Angel, staring at him.

Cordelia realizes that Angel entered the office from the street, from the sunlight. She wonders if he had an umbrella.

He walks over to the window, sunlight streaming in, enveloping his face.

Doyle realizes that Angel is alive.

Angel explains what happened in the sewer tunnel, how he fought with the demon, how the demon's blood mixed with his.

Doyle reaches out and checks his pulse, confirming he does indeed now have one.

Angel says they need to find out what kind of demon it was as he also notices his body is hurting from the fight.

Doyle notes that's a side effect of being human.

Angel realizes there's also another effect of being human. He's hungry. He races for the fridge and partakes of everything in it, stopping only briefly to savor flavors he hasn't tasted in over 200 years. He enjoys the apple and chocolate, not the yogurt.

As Angel is joyfully immersed in his feeding frenzy, Doyle is trying to get him to focus on what's happened and what they need to do.

Angel realizes Doyle is right. He tells Cordy to find Buffy at the "Lone Bar" but not to tell her what's happened to him. He doesn't want her to know anything until he knows more himself about what's happened and the reason for it.

Cordy agrees and departs to find Buffy.

---

Doyle and Angel are looking at a book, Angel points out a drawing of a demon and identifies it as the same type that attacked him.

Doyle notes it's a "Mohra" demon, a race of powerful assassins who work for the powers of darkness by killing warriors for the powers of good. He goes on, reading from the book, saying they need a lot of salt to survive.

Angel tells him it was headed for salt water when he was tracking it.

Doyle continues reading from the book; the blood of the Mohra is eternal, it possesses regenerative properties.

Angel is staring at his reflection in the window. He tells Doyle that would explain what happened to him but he still wants to know why.

Doyle doesn't think the why makes any difference. He points out that the demon is dead, Angel is alive, nothing else should really matter.

Angel demands to know what's happening. He thinks Doyle knows more than he's telling.

Doyle insists that he doesn't know anything. He tells Angel that the only way he knows for Angel to become human again would be for "The Powers That Be" (TPTB) to do it.

Angel still doesn't believe Doyle is telling him everything.

Doyle finally concedes that he's not and it's not his place to do so.

Angel needs to know what exactly has happened and what it means. He demands to talk to TPTB.

Doyle isn't too thrilled with that idea. He informs Angel that TPTB exist in alternate reality, approaching them isn't the easiest thing in the world. They have to be approached through certain avenues which can be dangerous.

Angel knows this already but he is determined to get the answers he needs. He tells Doyle to make it happen.

Doyle sees that Angel will not be talked out of this so he reluctantly agrees, informing Angel they can try approaching TPTB through the "Oracles".

---

Angel and Doyle are in an underground cavern, there's an arch over the wall on one side with an inscription in Latin above it. Angel having read the inscription, "The Gateway for Lost Souls", questions Doyle about the location being under the post office.

Doyle warns Angel that the Oracles are particular and unpredictable. He reminds Angel to get straight to his business and get out.

Angel asks if Doyle is coming with him. Doyle tells him he can't. Only warriors are allowed and he's just a messenger. He tells Angel if he does the entrance ritual correctly, and Angel's heart is deemed pure, he'll be allowed in.

Doyle puts something into an urn, recites an entrance request, and lights the contents of the urn which erupt in a brilliant flame.

An opening appears in the wall under the inscription and Angel steps through it, through a bright white light.

Angel is met on the other side of the entrance by the "Oracles"; human figures, one male, the other female. The male Oracle tells the "lower being" to enter. The female figure demands to know what Angel has brought for an offering.

Angel tells her he wasn't aware he was supposed to bring something.

The male curtly conveys his offense that Angel would call them forth without bringing something.

Angel thinks quickly and removes his watch, presenting it as his offering.

The female Oracle extends her hand, the watch flies out of Angel's into her own. She's happy with the gift.

The male Oracle wants to know why Angel has summoned them.

Angel tells them he needs to know what has happened to him.

The female Oracle takes a position on one side of Angel and tells the male Oracle, "It's true." The male Oracle has taken a position on the other side of Angel and tells the female that Angel isn't a warrior anymore.

Angel says the demon's blood did this, he wants to know whether or not The Powers were involved.

The male notes that Angel did not save mankind, nor did he avert an apocalypse so no, The Powers would not have granted him the return of his humanity.

The female offers that it was basically serendipitous; he fought the Mohra, he was affected by its blood, he became human. A result of chance, nothing more.

Angel still isn't so sure. He wants to know if he's poisoned or if there is some other loophole to his becoming human.

The female pauses briefly, then tells Angel that the omens say no, that what has happened is what was meant to be.

The male tells him that he will now live, and die, as human. He is no longer a warrior in the battle, he is released from his fealty.

Angel still can't believe it's that cut and dried, but before he can argue it further, the male extends his hand and Angel is thrown out of the Oracles' chamber. He flies backward, slamming into the wall of the cavern.

Doyle helps him up and is surprised it didn't work. Angel tells him it did but Doyle can't see how anything could have happened since he'd only been gone a few seconds. Doyle tells Angel to check his watch.

Angel says he can't do that and to please remind him to bring an offering next time.

Doyle wants to know what happened with the Oracles. Angel tells him that it's real, he's free. Doyle expresses his disbelief. Angel is contemplating the new life spread before him and doesn't know what to do or where he'll fit in.

Doyle agrees that it's a huge situation to deal with but tells Angel the possibilities are now endless. He can do whatever he wants. He wonders what it is that Angel does want.

---

Buffy is walking in the sun, near the pier. She senses something, stops, and turns to see Angel as he steps from the shadows of a hedge into the sunlight and walks toward her.

They share a passionate kiss.

---

At the office, Cordy is tending a sickly looking plant. She tells Doyle it was fine that morning, it's probably Buffy's fault it's dying now, after all, wherever Buffy goes, disaster lurks not far behind.

Doyle thinks maybe Cordelia is a little jealous of Buffy, an assertion Cordy vehemently denies. She's upset that her life is about to change again.

Doyle doesn't understand why she's so upset, considering Angel's only been mortal for one day. Cordy notes that for the last 2 1/2 hours of it, Angel and Buffy have been sequestered in his apartment. Doyle doesn't see the big deal, he thinks they deserve a little joy in their lives after all the pain, so what's the problem?

Cordy enlightens him a little on the history of Buffy and Angel. When there's angst between them, all's right with the world. When they get happy, the world falls apart.

Doyle reminds her that the curse is no longer an issue since Angel is now human and anyway, Cordy can't know exactly what Buffy and Angel are doing in his apartment.

Cordy assures him she knows exactly what Buffy and Angel are doing, considering the intensity of their feelings for each other and how long the option to act on those feelings has been denied them.

---

Buffy and Angel are sitting opposite each other at the kitchen table in his apartment. He offers her more tea, she declines.

Angel apologizes for kissing her. She's surprised by that. Angel clarifies that he wasn't sorry for the kiss itself, it's just that as much as he'd like to rush back into things with her, he thinks it's wiser to wait. He's afraid there could be another loophole, something that would send things back to the way they were and just make everything harder on both of them

Buffy agrees it's best to wait a while to be sure Angel's turning human isn't a temporary situation and says that even if it turns out to be permanent, there are still complications.

Angel agrees that's true because she's still the Slayer and he really doesn't know what his place in the world is anymore. He doesn't feel it's possible to fall back into her life in Sunnydale, things have changed, and points out that with her slaying, he could be a liability to her if she had to worry about him instead of focusing on the task at hand.

Buffy is irritated that Angel seems to be reaching for reasons not to get back together.

Angel moves over to sit beside Buffy. He assures her it's not that he doesn't want to get back with her, he just wants to be sure that things are as they seem and believes it's worth waiting to be certain she won't be hurt again.

Buffy isn't easily placated. She's fantasized many times about Angel turning human and what that would mean for them, but this isn't what she had in mind. She asks Angel how he wants to handle things then. Does she call him? Is he going to call her? Where do they go from here?

Angel tells her the plan is to "stay in touch", only not literally. Buffy agrees and thinks it's best for her to leave. As she begins to go, Angel suggests it's a good idea to remove the temptation.

Buffy turns to face him, she wants to confirm they'll talk soon.

Buffy puts her hand on top of Angel's, which is resting on the counter. They both look down at their hands, the passion clearly rising between them.

Angel turns his hand to take Buffy's, then pulls her into a kiss. They move backward, against the refrigerator. Angel lifts Buffy as she wraps her legs around his waist while they continue kissing. He carries her over to the kitchen table and begins clearing it off with one hand while Buffy helps by shoving stuff off of it with one of hers. He lays her down on top of the table, the two of them never breaking their embrace, the kissing becoming more intense.

---

Angel is digging through the fridge, Buffy calls to him from the bedroom to be sure to get the peanut butter. Angel hurries back into the bedroom, his arms laden with food. When he gets to the bed, he drops the food on top of it and slips under the sheets as he and Buffy each sit, facing each other.

They enjoy feeding each other, Angel savoring the wonders of tasting after so many years. They kiss some more.

As Angel lies back down on the bed, Buffy climbs up to lie beside him. Angel wonders why Buffy never told him about the joys of peanut butter and chocolate. She says she didn't see the point of it since as a vampire, he couldn't enjoy it anyway.

Buffy tells him she doesn't want them to be apart anymore. Angel agrees. They kiss and some ice cream from the spoon he's been eating from drips onto his chest. He reckons he needs to work on the human coordination thing.

Buffy cleans the spilled ice cream with her tongue.

Angel laughs and pulls her into a kiss. They make love.

---

Cordy and Doyle are at a bar, having a drink. Cordelia is lamenting the fact she's out of a job and doesn't have much in the way of qualifications to find a new one.

Doyle reminds her they're both out of a job. Cordy thinks he's happy about it. Doyle acknowledges that he's happy for Angel and for himself if this would mean an end to the migraine inducing visions and he'd be free to go do his own thing.

Suddenly, Doyle's head hits the bar. The vision shows him the Mohra demon. It has regenerated itself.

Cordy asks what he sees. Doyle tells her it's trouble.

---

Buffy and Angel are lying in his bed. He's on his back, she's on her side with her head on his chest, marveling at the sound of his heartbeat.

Buffy is glad they didn't decide to wait things out after all. She says she's sleepy but she wants to stay awake, she doesn't want the day to end.

Angel assures her that it's okay to sleep, they'll have many more days just like this one.

Buffy is content, for the first time in her life she feels like a "normal girl" falling asleep with her "normal boyfriend."

Angel smiles and gently kisses her on the top of her head as she drifts off to sleep.

---

Angel hears the door open and gets out of bed, carefully so as not to wake Buffy. He comes out of the bedroom as Doyle is coming down the stairs.

Doyle tells him that the Mohra demon regenerated itself in the tunnel where Angel had fought with it, then it was in a factory of some kind. Doyle thought he sensed the taste of salt.

Angel says that the Mohra needs salt to survive. Doyle replies it's very much living and pretty hostile as well. Angel decides to track it and kill it again.

Doyle reminds him that he's human now, the Oracles said he'd been released from his duty.

As Angel gets dressed, he tells Doyle that they don't want the Mohra on the loose. They know from Doyle's vision it's in a factory and Angel knows of a saline plant in Redondo. He says they'll start their search there.

Doyle wants to know how Angel thinks he's going to kill it since it can regenerate itself.

Angel says they'll find a way and tells Doyle to bring the "Book of Kelsor" for reference.

Doyle looks in at a sleeping Buffy and suggests they should bring along someone "supernatural". He asks if Angel wants to wake Buffy.

Angel declines.

---

Angel and Doyle are walking outside of the saline plant as Doyle reads from the Book of Kelsor explaining that the Mohra doesn't just regenerate, it regenerates itself bigger and stronger. Doyle thinks it would be wise to go back to Angel's and get Buffy.

Angel believes he can handle it himself.

Doyle reminds him that the Mohra is not an ordinary demon, it nearly killed Angel when he was a vampire. He doubts Angel will stand a chance against it as human.

Angel still refuses to go back and get Buffy, telling Doyle the only way a relationship can work between them is for him to be able to handle things on his own, to take care of himself. He tells Doyle to find the key to killing it.

Doyle continues reading from the book; the Mohra will regenerate itself until the end of days arrives and to kill it "one must bring darkness to 1000 eyes."

Angel doesn't understand the meaning of that, noting the demon only has two eyes along with a large jewel in its forehead.

They stumble upon a couple of bloodied corpses, Angel is sickened by the sight. Doyle tells him the reaction is part of being human. Angel is even more determined to kill the Mohra.

Doyle reminds him it's vicious and deadly -- just before he finishes his thought he and Angel both realize the demon is perched above them. Just as they look up, the Mohra drops down on top of them.

Doyle is knocked unconscious by the demon almost immediately.

Angel is battered, but keeps getting back up. The demon is getting the better of him by far.

Finally, Angel realizes discretion would be the better part of valor here and tries to retreat from the Mohra. The demon follows.

---

Cordelia is busying herself placing price tags on everything in the office. Buffy enters and asks Cordy where Angel is.

Cordy explains she's decided to take control of things, she's organizing a "going out of business sale" since Angel never set up a severance plan for her.

Buffy isn't interested in Cordelia's problems, she wants to know if Angel left any messages for her.

Cordy is only interested in her own situation at the moment, and notes that Buffy doesn't care how Angel's turning human has affected her [Cordelia].

Buffy admits that is not a concern of hers and repeats her request for info on Angel's whereabouts.

Cordelia tells her that Angel didn't want Buffy to know.

Buffy is becoming more annoyed by the moment, she wants to know if Angel is in trouble.

Cordy slips and tells Buffy it's her fault that Angel went to fight the demon by himself.

---

Angel in human form is proving to be no match for the Mohra. As he struggles to just get away, the Mohra jumps him, they both crash through a factory floor to the basement level below.

The demon slams his foot down on Angel's neck and tells him the "End of Days has begun and cannot be stopped". He assures Angel that for every one of them that dies, more will come to take their place.

Just as the Mohra raises its sword to stab Angel, Buffy jumps on it from above, knocking it off of Angel.

Buffy comes up with the Mohra's sword but doesn't have possession of it for long as the demon manages to get it away from her in the ensuing struggle. Buffy kicks the demon backward, into the wall. She let's it know she's not particularly impressed with its fighting skills at this point.

The fight continues. Buffy kicks the demon, the demon tosses her hard into the wall. The Mohra tells her that "together you were powerful, alone you are dead" and as it picks her up by the throat wants to know if she's a little more impressed with its abilities now.

Angel manages to pick up a handful of salt from the floor and throw it in the demon's eyes which causes it to release its grip on Buffy's throat. Angel attempts to help Buffy get up but the Mohra grabs him and throws him across the room. The demon returns to battling Buffy.

Angel remembers what Doyle read from the Book of  Kelsor, "the light of a thousand eyes" and realizes it refers to the jewel in the demon's forehead. He yells at Buffy to smash the jewel.

She retrieves the demon's weapon from the ground and shatters the jewel.

A blinding light envelopes the demon, which disappears.

Buffy runs over to Angel, who's lying on the ground. She takes his head in her lap. He wants to know if she's okay. She quietly tells him he's okay, they're together and that's all that matters, as she comforts him.

---

Angel is once again in the chamber of the Oracles. The female wants to know what offering Angel has brought. He throws her a black Ching Dynasty vase. She is pleased. The male Oracle wants to to know why this "lower being" has come.

Angel tells them what the Mohra had said about the "End of Days" having begun and that others were coming. He wants to know if the demon was telling the truth.

The male tells him that it's true, as far as future events can be known.

Angel wants to know what happens to the Slayer when the soldiers of darkness arrive. The female Oracle tells him what happens to the Slayer is the same that will happen to all mortal beings when that time comes, although for the Slayer, it will be sooner.

Angel realizes she means that Buffy will die. He tells the Oracles he'll beg for Buffy's life.

The Oracles aren't interested in his pleadings, they turn to walk away, telling Angel that granting life and death isn't their place.

Angel asks them to take his life back. They stop walking away. Angel points out that he can't protect Buffy or anyone else as a mortal man.

The female asks if Angel is asking to become what he was before, a demon with a soul, because of Buffy. The male starts to leave, saying they are not concerned with matters of love.

Angel points out the Mohra's purpose was to take a warrior from the side of good, and it succeeded since as a mortal man he is of no use in the battle against the forces of darkness. He knows they can change things and begs them to do it.

The male Oracle tells him that they cannot change what has already happened. The female tells her brother Oracle that what has not yet occurred can be avoided. The male reminds her that messing with time isn't something that is undertaken lightly and certainly not on the whims of a "lower being".

The female Oracle informs her male counterpart that he's wrong. Angel, in her view, is willing to sacrifice everything good he's ever known for the life of another. She tells the male that Angel is not a lower being.

The male tells Angel there is a way. The female says they will take back the day, it will never have happened. They will go back 24 hours to when the demon first attacked, the rest is taken back.

Angel realizes this means that none of the love and joy he and Buffy shared will have happened either. He wants to know how he can be certain the same thing won't happen again.

The female tells him that only he will remember the day that was taken back, so he'll know what he has to do when the Mohra attacks. She asks if he can bear that burden.

---

Buffy is pacing in Angel's apartment. The clock on the wall reads 8:56. Angel returns.

Buffy sees the somber expression on his face and wants to know what happened, where he has been.

Angel tells her he went to see the Oracles and asked them to turn him back.

Buffy is stunned. She demands to know why.

Angel tells her he made the decision because of how much he loves her.

Buffy doesn't believe what she's hearing.

Angel continues that if he had stayed human, one of them, maybe both, would have died. He reminds her of the Mohra's words.

Buffy is hurt and angry. She tells Angel they killed the Mohra.

Angel reminds her that it said there would be others.

Buffy knows there will always be others but she's the Slayer, it's her problem now, not his.

Angel is adamant. He tells her he will not, cannot, stand by while she fights alone and maybe gets killed.

Buffy tells him they will fight together.

Angel reminds her of what happened the previous night. He was no match for the Mohra as a mortal man. He doesn't want to be a liability to Buffy and he knows that's what he would be. He doesn't want Buffy distracted having to look out for him when she'll need to focus on the battles at hand. He tells her that scenario is bad for everyone; her, himself and the people they are supposed to help.

Buffy suggests he wanted to be turned back because he preferred life as a supernatural being to that of an average mortal one.

Angel tells her that's not it, that he couldn't accept his mortality knowing that it would mean that Buffy or others would die because of it.

After a moment, Angel takes Buffy in his arms and says he couldn't tell her before he went to see the Oracles because he was afraid he wouldn't have been able to go through with it.

Buffy quietly says she understands. She wants to know what's going to happen.

Angel tells her the Oracles plan to take back the day, turning back time to the point where the Mohra first attacked him so he can kill it before its blood mixes with his and makes him human.

Buffy wants to know when.

Angel looks at the clock on the wall and tells her they have one more minute.

Buffy is crying, saying that they need more time.

Angel tells her there is no choice, it will happen, they can't stop it now.

Buffy asks how she can go on with her own life knowing what she and Angel shared, what they could have had, in that 24 hours he was human.

He tells her that she won't know, the only one who will remember is him. Nothing that happened between them will have happened.

Buffy looks at the clock and sees the minute is almost up. She cries desperately that it's not enough time. They kiss passionately. Angel holds her tightly as she repeats to herself she'll never forget.

There is a flash of light, Buffy and Angel are in his office, 24 hours earlier.

Angel is in the position he was in then, standing in front of the desk, leaning back against it. He looks a bit surprised for a moment as he looks around the room.

Buffy is also standing where she was 24 hours ago, next to the door in Angel's office. She's repeating what she had said before the demon attacked. Buffy tells him it's best for both of them to keep their distance from each other until enough time has passed that they should be able to --- Angel again finishes the thought for her with "forget." Buffy agrees, tells Angel she's going to start forgetting and turns to leave.

The Mohra crashes through the window like before, only this time Angel turns, takes the clock from his desk and smashes the jewel in the Mohra's forehead with it. The bright light envelops the Mohra and it disappears.

Buffy is surprised by the quick action and wonders how Angel knew how to kill it.

He tells her it was a Mohra demon, he's been reading a lot.

Buffy says there's nothing more to say between them.

Angel agrees. He looks at the broken clock which stopped at 9:02. When he looks back, Buffy has left the office.