Halfreck blew over the top of her coffee trying to cool the drink. "So you ready for the big times Anyanka?" They were hanging out in what was the interdimensional equivalent of a Starbucks for demons.

Anyanka looked around the coffee shop wondering where her double mocha cappuccino was. "It's not like this is my first time on the hell mouth,"

"Well I know but this Cordeila girl has direct line to the slayer. I mean this could have some big time implications for the hell mouth if you do it right."

Before she could say anything Dahoffryn came by carrying her hot coffee setting it in front of her. "Which is why I'm sending you to Hollywood."

Anyanka looked at him confused and a little angry. "What are you talking about? I did all of my homework on Sunnydale and I'm ready to go."

Dahoffryn shook his head. "Which would be fine normally but we have already stirred this pot recently and it isn't something I wish to have re stirred."

Anyanka shook her head. "But I've spent the last two weeks studying this girl and getting to learn what makes her tick. Steering her in the right direction. I can make this work."

"I am sure you would do it amazing justice. There is much more dire need else where though." He dropped the manila folder in front of her and waited for her to pick it up

Angry she opened it and recognized the name immediately. "What the hell does Jennifer Aniston have to be mad at Brad Pitt for? They are an amazing couple and I don't want to mess with that."

"ANYANKA!" He closed his eyes and tried to find his calm. "Now I know you believe that of all the Vengeance demons I have out there that you are my favorite but that doesn't mean you can just do things against my orders. Even you are not beyond consequence."

She looked at him like a petulant child. "But Hollywood really?"

He kept his glare locked on her. "This is a good job and you will do it well." With that Dahoffryn picked up the folder with all of the Sunnydale info and threw it in the trashcan near the door. He turned to give her one last look. "You'll thank me some day."

Halfreck looked at Anyanka. "So it's off to La La land."

Anyanka didn't look at her she just stared at the garbage can. "Yeah I guess so."

"I know what you are thinking. Don't do it. This isn't it. You disobey a direct order from Dahoffryn."

Anyanka stood up looking at her coffee. "Well I'm not really in the mood for that anymore. I guess I'm going to spend the rest of the day researching Mister and Misses Perfect."

As she walked out of the coffee shop she stopped at the door. The folder in the trashcan was practically taunting her. She closed her eyes pushed the door open and walked out leaving the folder there.

In Sunnydale Buffy was sitting at the picnic table at lunch with Willow and Oz. Xander chose to have off campus lunch. He'd been going out of his way lately to avoid Buffy. She couldn't work on him now so maybe someone she could work on. Someone who was equally pissed off at her.

Willow saw Buffy staring at Cordy. "Don't do it."

"Willow she is mad but at some point I have to try at least. I have to at least say I'm sorry let her know I know what I did was wrong."

She nodded "And I get that but you have the whole school watching."

Buffy nodded "What better time. She can't flip out on me. She can't lose control. She won't make a scene." Buffy focused on Cordy.

Willow sighed. "I don't know Buffy isn't that kind of holding her emotionally hostage?"

Buffy just kept staring having already made up her mind. "Yep."

Willow rolled her eyes. "And you aren't listening so I'm going to marry Mister Potato Head and have a bunch of tator tot babies"

Buffy nodded standing up. "Good plan Will. I'm heading in."

Cordy was sitting at the table poking at the school lunch when she saw Buffy crossing the quad to her. She looked up and gave her a polished smile. She smiled up at Buffy as she sat her tray down in front of her.. "Oh no no no no Buffy. You don't have a reservation at this establishment."

Buffy sat down. "Well you know me. I don't really wait to be invited."

Cordy dropped her fork on her plate. "I know what you are doing. You think I won't make a scene with all these people around."

"I am hoping but here is the thing. You don't want to talk to me? That is fine. You can just listen. Cordy I am sorry. For everything."

"Really? You are sorry? All better now."

"I get that you are mad at me and probably will never forgive me but punishing Xander for what I did."

"And there it is."

"It's the truth Cordy."

"No the truth goes something like this. Xander is pissed at you. He is pissed off and the truth is you deserve it. The thing is though he isn't pissed cause you broke up our relationship. So this whole thing with you telling me your sorry, it's not about you wanting to make things right. It's about trying to make things better for Xander so that maybe he won't be as pissed off at you anymore."

Buffy shook her head. "Maybe I have some insight you don't"

"Insight?"

"Yes as a woman who knows what it is too look back on the Xander Harris path and saying what if I picked differently. You will come to this fork in the road Cordy and you will say I should have picked different."

Cordy stood up and left her tray. "I'm done here. With the conversation and the lunch. You can have it. You apparently have a thing for my left overs."

Buffy shook her head. "I know you don't think it's possible but I'm going to find a way to make us even again Chase."

Cordy turned around and laughed, "We will never be even."

As she walked away Buffy looked down her lunch. She hadn't even touched her tacos and damn it this pregnancy was making her eat double. "What the hell pride be damned." She picked up the taco off Cordy's plate and put it on hers.

The rest of the day went mostly typical.. At the end of the day she came in to the library to find Giles working with Faith on some basic hand-to-hand. He looked on at Buffy a little surprised. "I thought you had to get home right after school?"

Buffy nodded. "Mom is in LA. She's having it out with Hank Summers's father of the year."

Giles looked concerned. "Is everything okay?"

Buffy sucked in a breath. "I called dad last night and told him about the baby and he said it was mom's fault with the way she is raising me. So mom didn't take well to that. She said what she had to say to him couldn't be said over the phone."

"So for at least till tomorrow my mom isn't home and can't really bust me if I'm not home after school."

Giles took off his glasses wiping them off. "Buffy just because your mother is gone."

She interrupted looking at Giles than to Faith. "I don't want to interrupt training Giles but do you think I could have just a few minutes."

Faith looked at Giles "I'm going to grab some water."

Giles sat at the table as Buffy sat across from him. Giles looked to her "What is on your mind?"

Buffy looked up at him. "I know you put on this front like I'm not this massive disappointment but the truth is I know how much I let you down."

"Buffy."

"No I know what I've done. I know that I have made things so much harder for you from the day I've come in to your life. I know that I constantly am letting you down and I've always tried to be the slayer you want and deserve. I'm used to letting you down but I know this time I set the bar to a whole new level."

She fought the tears back. "I hate that what ever little respect you had for me I threw away. I just want to tell you I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not being the slayer you deserve." Strength or not she couldn't stop the tears from running down her face. Giles crossed to the other side of the table and gave her his handkerchief. She dabbed her eyes crying "Thank you"

Giles sat down next to her. "Buffy you know a little of my past. You know my nickname was Ripper and I" He shook his head. "I made choice when I was your age that."

Buffy shook her head. "It's not the same Giles. You messed around with some magic. You weren't the school slut."

"You aren't a slut Buffy. You are wrong about my past though. Yes I messed with powers beyond my control. People were hurt because of it but I also made reckless stupid choices as a teenager. Choices that changed people forever. Choices that still haunt me to this day. "

"How did you move on? How did you get past it?"

"Buffy you are not defined by your mistakes no more than I am. We learn from them we carry that knowledge with us and we move on. So when I tell you I'm not disappointed or angry I truly mean it."

Buffy stood up and hugged Giles. "I wish my real dad would have said something like that."

He held his would be daughter in his arms. "No matter what you feel, you must know you are not alone. Your friends and I will hold you up when you need strength."

She pulled back and once again blotted her eyes with the handkerchief. "Thank you Giles."

Giles looked at her "Now I don't want to give your mother an excuse to get mad so maybe you should honor her punishment and "

Buffy sighed, "Yeah yeah I'm going home."

As Buffy walked in to the house she heard the phone ringing. She picked it up knowing who it was. "Hello Mom."

Joyce sighed "Buffy where were you. I called 15 minutes ago you didn't answer."

"Mom you aren't in town to pick me up which means I can walk or take the bus. I took the bus and it just got home."

"Pretty sure you are full of crap. But I'm not going to push it. Not after the day I've had with your father."

"That bad?"

"When your father and I got divorced we made a vow we would not bad mouth each other in front of you. Right now he is pushing my limits."

"Will you be home tonight mom?"

"I am going to pick up a piece for the gallery since I'm here anyways which means I will be back tomorrow."

"This feels like a test. You are telling me you aren't going to be back and than when you come back it is about seeing if I'm going to be out of the house."

"Oh stop. But I will say if you want to invite Willow or Faith over tonight it would give me some piece of mind knowing you aren't alone."

"Really?'

"Yes Really. You are still my little girl."

"At the rate I'm eating I won't be little long."

Joyce laughed. "I will see you tomorrow. Stay safe honey."

"Love you mom."

She hung up the phone and called Willow asking her if she could spend the night. Half an hour later Willow showed up with her book bag and change of clothes for tomorrow.

Just after 8 pm Joyce made her final call for the night making sure Buffy was where she needed to be. Buffy smiled at Willow. "So we got an hour before the Ice Cream store closes and I could really go for a cone."

Willow shrugged "What the hell every once in a while you have to say damn the rules and throw caution to the wind."

With in 15 minutes they both had a double scoop and were ready to head back to Buffy's. As they walked out of the shop Buffy pointed at a familiar figure in a red cocktail dress coming out of the bronze "Hey look its Cordeila."

"Buffy you tried once today maybe you should give her some time."

Buffy nodded "You are right but" She pointed to an older over weight gentleman in a suit following her. "I think she has a vampire fan."

Willow looked at her. "Buffy your pregnant and I thought you were going to let Faith do all the slaying"

Buffy crossed following the man who was following Cordy. "If I don't help her than she could get hurt. Besides this vampire is not a threat"

Cordy pulled out her keys when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned to see the man who was following her "Mr Lowenstein is that you?"

Before he could respond Buffy called to her "Hey Cordelia are you okay?" Lowenstein had a creepy glare to him looking at Cordy like she was a piece of candy.

Cordy rolled her eyes. "Are you stalking me?"

Buffy shook her head. "I saw this creepy vamp following you and I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Cordy rolled her eyes. "He is the accountant for Chase Worldwide. He isn't a vampire."

The balding over weight man put on his vamp face. "Oh Miss Chase I wouldn't say that."

Willow looked at Cordy. "So maybe we all get in your car now. We let the nice vampire accountant walk away and Buffy and I finish our ice cream."

Cordy crossed her arms "Does my dad know you are a vampire?"

He just laughed, "Your father is in for a world of surprises. But first I think" He was interrupted by a stake poking through his heart and out his chest from behind.

Cordy jumped back not wanting to get any vampire dust on her. "A little warning Buffy."

Cordy picked up the briefcase he was carrying putting it in her car. "I'm going to give this to my dad it might have some work stuff in it."

Willow looked at Cordy. "How about a Thank you."

Cordy rolled her eyes. "Oh come on. He was like 300 pounds and balding. Even as a vampire he was lame. The strange thing is though he was actually less creepy."

Willow looked surprised "Really?"

She nodded. "He was always staring at me and had this weird fixed eye thing where I didn't even want to imagine what he was thinking."

Buffy licked her ice cream cone. "Okay so this makes us even."

Cordy laughed "As if. You just killed a vampire that you didn't even have to put your ice cream cone down to slay."

Buffy shook her head "What ever. Let's go Willow. Next time I'll let the creepy over weight accountant vampire eat her."

Anyanka ran with everything she had wanting to get to the coffee shop in time. She looked to the trash can to find it empty She looked at the cashier who was closing things up for the night. "I accidently threw away an important work document and I'm hoping I can get it back."

She shrugged "Probably in the dumpster out back by now."

Anya ran out back and looked at the dumper shaking her head. "This better be worth it." She spent the next 20 minutes ripping through the bags. Finally she found the folder holding it up like a trophy. "FOUND IT." She laughed and smiled quickly pushing the folder in her jacket. "I know what you said Dahoffryn but I promise you this is going to change the world. Next Stop Sunnydale California."