Buffy walked out of the ice cream shop following Xander's lead. Xander walked down the street in silence with Buffy close behind. The neon signs and the moon provided adequate light to the night's sky. Buffy had an uneasy feeling like a kid who just got busted taking the car with out permission. She had a feeling what was coming and switched in to defensive mode.

"Listen Xander I know you are pissed off.

"I'm not pissed."

Buffy looked a little confused. "You are disappointed in me?"

He laughed thinking that was something a parent would say to a child. "No I'm not disappointed in you."

"Xander I needed to kill that thing and."

He turned around facing her. "Buffy stop. I knew you were going to do that. I told you earlier today that I could see you coming a mile away. You think I don't know. Buffy I know all your moves."

Buffy stood there crossing her arms getting a little closer and more confrontational. "You knew I was going to do that? Then why did you cut me out of the plan."

"First off Buffy you might not remember who you are. You might be different in a lot of ways but some things are just written in your DNA. I swear some things about you will never change."

"So the orders you gave the team were bogus?"

"Oh no. They were completely legit. I had a tactical plan in place that would have been effective and efficient. I planned on using it hoping I could get it done before you interjected but I knew I probably wouldn't"

"You could have made this easier if you would have worked with me."

"Buffy everything I said was true. The best tactical strategy was to keep you out of it. You are to close and to emotional."

"I won Xander. He is dead and I'm alive. Go team slayer."

"Just because you won doesn't mean you were right."

"So what does this mean? Are you kicking me off the squad for disobeying orders?" He turned around not facing her but kept walking.

"You are such a drama queen. I am not kicking you anywhere. First off it's not my choice. Faith will be back with in a week and she can decide where to kick you."

"So Faith is going to be taking over?"

"This was only temporary. "

"So what was with the angry treatment inside the ice cream shop?"

"Buffy I have girls that take my orders and depend on my strategies to keep them alive. I need to convey a certain level of respect for them. When you march in and disobey my direct orders it takes away from that."

Buffy bit her lip feeling a little guilty. He made a point and knew that she did make him look bad. "Look I will talk to the girls. I will make this right."

He laughed and shook his head. "Oh you owe me big time Buffy. I already have a plan in place and you will follow it to the t."

"A plan?"

"You had better put on an Oscar worthy performance for what I have planned."

Buffy tilted her head confused. "A what worthy?"

"I forget 90 percent of my pop culture reference still go over your head cause you can't remember anything?" He stopped in front of his truck and opened the passenger side door. "Get in and I will lay down the plan."

Back at the school the girls brought in several tubs of different flavored ice cream. It didn't take long for word to spread through out the school and the girls were all laughing and enjoying the late night sugar rich goodness. Not to mention the gossip that came with it.

It didn't take long for word to spread that Buffy had dis obeyed a direct order given by Xander. People had already started to speculate what was to come next. Noxi had a bowl of strawberry cheesecake mixed with a scoop of cake batter. She sat across from Tiffany speculating. "Just between you and me I think Buffy is going to be thrown off the squad."

The brunette with blue streaks listened while eating her ice cream. "No way. She is way to talented. She brings to much to the table."

"That may be true but" She was interrupted by the outside door to the cafeteria slamming open. All the girls turned their head and silence filled the room as Xander came in. Buffy was close behind. She had a look of desperation and pleading in her eyes.

"Xander I'm sorry. I screwed up." He spun around getting in her face looking pissed.

"You disobeyed a direct order. I told you to stay away and you pissed on that. I won't tolerate that."

"It won't happen again. I'm sorry I."

"You are damn right it won't happen again. You are done. Go work for Debbie and her team cause I don't have a place for you anymore."

Buffy gritted her teeth not wanting to do the next part but she knew she owed it to Xander. She dropped to her knees. "Oh God Xander please no. I am so sorry. Don't do this."

"It's done Buffy."

"I am begging you. Please have some mercy on me. It won't happen again I will change I will fall in line I will."

Xander spun around and crossed the room to her. He stood in front of her. "Stand up." He shook his head acting like he was thinking. He let go of a deep sigh. "I guess for the good of the team."

"Please I'll do anything."

"Fine you aren't off the team but this can't go unpunished."

"What are you going to do to me?"

"You owe me. 2 hours every day you will be working clean up and knock out detail while I am doing construction in the south wing."

"For how long?"

"Till I say you are done."

Buffy looked down at her feet and nodded. "I guess that is fair."

"You are damn right it is. If you pull this crap again I will pull you from field duty. Then it won't be a matter of working for any squad."

Buffy looked at him knowing Xander was milking it a little now. She put on a plastered smile letting Xander enjoy his power trip. "Okay you are right." She whispered through gritted teeth whispering. "Okay you have proved your point."

He smiled roaring to the room. "I am the boss and the law as far as you are concerned. GOT IT."

Buffy kept the fake smile on knowing she owed him. "Right boss." He walked with Buffy to the elevator pushing the up button.

Xander looked at her "And you don't get any ice cream."

As the elevator door opened Buffy stepped in and Xander followed. With the girls listening she nodded. As the doors closed she looked at him. "I'm so going to kick your ass you know."

Xander smiled "I don't care. It was worth it." He laughed

Buffy spent the next morning out with Willow and Dawn shopping at the local mall. Since Buffy had become so dependent on others to build her memories she had grown closer. She looked these people as her support system.

Buffy walked between Willow and Dawn. "So I'm still wrapping my brain around this whole concept I have died several times."

Willow chirped in. "Depending on who you ask you'll get a different answer. I say 3 times."

Dawn shook her head. "It's 4 times."

Willow interjected. "At the hands of the Master that is one, jumping off the tower after beating Glory is 2. Warrens bullet and her heart stopping in the hospital is 3."

Dawn looked at Buffy "Some people don't count that one."

Willow interrupted. "Which makes for 3."

Dawn shook her head. "You are forgetting the time she was a vampire."

Buffy stopped turning to Dawn "I was a vampire."

Dawn nodded "Not by siring. Basically it was this whole thing with everyone's nightmares coming true and your nightmare was becoming a vampire. Vampires are with out pulse or heartbeat which would make you dead and that makes number 4."

Willow argued not buying it. "Dead and undead aren't the same thing. The number is 3."

Buffy sighed "Well at least my life isn't boring." Buffy stopped suddenly looking in the window of a shoe store.

Willow paid no attention to the store still focusing on Buffy. "If it makes you feel any better it's been a long time since you have died and I have lost all of your attention because you have entered the shoe zone."

Buffy just inched closer to the glass looking at the expensive shoes. "Soooo pretty."

Dawn laughed and shrugged. "Wow I think we have found another thing that this Buffy has held on to."

Buffy looked at the 200 dollar price tag and quickly spun to Willow. "What is left on my monthy stipend?"

"245 dollars and 38 cents."

"So I could afford those" She smiled going in the store.

Willow interjected following her in. "After tax you will have almost nothing left."

Dawn nodded. "Which means no movies or activities or any fun."

Buffy shook her head "My feet will have plenty of fun." She went to the salesgirl asking for the shoes hoping they were available in her size. As the sales girl rang her up she came out adding the bag to her others.

Willow looked at Buffy. "Should we get a bite before we head back?"

Buffy shook her head. "I have to get back. Xander is making me work in the south wing as punishment for disobeying."

Willow rolled her eyes knowing better. "Wow punishment. Really? So Friday when you were helping with the tear down before you killed the demon. It wasn't punishment then but now it is?"

Buffy played dumb continuing the charade. "I know it's weird isn't it."

Dawn just laughed at her sister thinking they were that dumb. "Right."

Dawn drove on the way home as Buffy sat in the back. Buffy switched positions so she could look to Willow.

"Hey I was thinking we could have a fun day on Friday if you want. I've talked to Xander about it."

Willow turned in her seat looking at Buffy. "Why Friday?'

Buffy reached forward touching Willow's shoulder. "I've talked to a few of the girls and they told me about Friday." Buffy had heard from the other slayers that Friday was the anniversary of Tara's death. It was a day that Willow had always taken especially hard.

Willow felt touched the fact that Buffy was reaching out meant a lot to her. It wasn't that the old Buffy was cold. It was more just one of those things where she wasn't as good emotionally with reach out. Buffy could kill any vampire but connecting with someone emotionally was her weakness. At least it was. Willow just smiled at her friend and put her hand on top of Buffy's "I think I'd like that a lot."

Dawn smiled pulling in to the parking lot of the school. "Great. This should be a lot of fun." Buffy jumped out of the car grabbing her bags and running in. She wanted to show the other slayers what she bought before helping Xander.

Dawn walked next to Willow. "Willow lately I have kind of been feeling guilty about Buffy?"

Willow sighed "I think I know what you are going to say. You feel bad because you like this new Buffy more then the old one."

"She is so much more open. She talks to me and tells me how she feels. She doesn't carry around all the guilt."

"I know what you are saying. She looks at the other slayers as her friends and sister. She doesn't seem burdened by the world. She's just."

"Different."

"And you are worried because even though she is different you feel guilty cause you like her more."

"Shouldn't I feel guilty? I feel like that Buffy had earned our loyalty and the fact that I like this one more makes me feel like a traitor."

"I know what you are saying and believe me I've felt the same way but you have to remember this isn't two separate girls. This is still your sister and my friend nothing can change that. You would help her no matter what."

"I guess you are right." Just as they were turning to carry some bags in the dull roar of an engine could be heard coming up the parking lot. Dawn looked at the moving van approaching.

"Who is this?"

Willow just shrugged "Hell if I know?"

As the truck came to a stop the door came open and Faith jumped out and to the ground. "Damn it is good to be home."

Dawn smiled at the brunette slayer. "I thought you were going to call before you arrived."

"Well I was thinking of doing that but decided it would be so much more fun to just show up and shock the hell out of you guys." The other side of the door flew open and Andrew came running out. He didn't say anything just ran straight inside.

Willow looked confused "What is wrong with him?"

Faith laughed at him. "He was the one who insisted on getting the super sized soda and I told him we were driving straight through."

Dawn walked to the back of the truck ready to open it. "Do you need help carrying your stuff in?"

Faith put her hand on top of Dawn stopping her. "Don't open that?"

"Why not?"

"Because if you open that in the bright sun the two vampires who are in there avoiding the sun are going to turn in to big pile of ash."

Willow looked surprised. "They came with you in the truck?"

"Seemed like a good idea at the time."

Willow looked at the truck. "Well why don't you pull in the rear and you can pull up to the loading dock. That way they can get in the school with out getting fried by the sun."

Faith tossed the keys to Willow "Have one of the junior slayers do it I am wiped out."

Willow nodded and watched as Faith walked in. "Welcome back Faith."