Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of BTVS.  They belong to Joss, and I do not own Joss's brain, but I wish I did cuz that would be really cool

Robbery of Fate (The Bugs Bunny Enlightenment)

Pt. I

"She really liked the white one…we should go with the white…" Willow said.

"She always looked really good in the blue one though…I think she looked good in blue…brought out her eyes…" Xander replied.

"I always fancied her in black." Spike said quietly from the other side of the bedroom.

"Yah, well no one asked you what you thought." Xander retorted harshly.  Spike looked up, almost surprised.

"Xander…" Willow said softly, laying a hand on his arm.  "He has every right to be here."  Xander didn't reply.  "What do you think Dawnie?  Which one do you like?"  She turned to the young girl who was standing next to her with her arms folded protectively over her chest.

"Does it matter?" Dawn answered bitterly.  "It's not like the people at the funeral are gonna say, 'Oh my God, look at her shirt.  It totally doesn't match her outfit.'  I mean…they're just gonna put her in the ground anyway…It's not like anyone is ever gonna see it again…" She stared stubbornly forward.

Xander closed his eyes.

Willow's lip trembled.

Spike looked at his feet.

"Giles should be here…" Willow said, holding the white shirt in one hand and the blue in the other.  "He would know…"

"He wanted us to do this part Will…he couldn't…it was too much…besides, he's speaking at the funeral.  We need to be strong for him."  Xander said.

"Well who's gonna be strong for us?" Willow snapped back, her eyes watering.

No one offered an answer.

"Jewelry…we need jewelry for…her" Willow said.  As the words left her mouth, her mind was invaded with several flashing images of the mortician's hands wrapping a necklace around Buffy's cold throat; rings being slid onto her stiff, gray fingers; bracelets around her wrists which no longer pulsed with life.  She pushed the vision fiercely away.

"I uh…have something…" Spike spoke up.  He got up from the chair he was sitting in and walked over to Willow.  It was Buffy's chair.  In Buffy's room.  He had been uncomfortable sitting in it, but at the same time it brought a strange closeness to him, sending tiny shivers up and down his spine.  He had a hard time getting up from it.

"I have this…" he reached into his duster pocket gently and pulled out a sleek velvet choker.  Wrapped around the front of it was a thin sliver chain with one tiny cross hanging from the very center.  He held it out in his hand, and then carefully placed it in Willow's open palm.  "It was gonna be for her Birthday…but…" he trailed off.  "She probably wouldn't have accepted it anyway…" He added quietly, putting his hand on the back of his neck and looking down with a bitter chuckle.

"Would you have blamed her?" Xander challenged cruelly.  Spike only looked back at him with hate and disgust.

"I think it's beautiful."  Willow said, looking into Spike's eyes.  "She would have loved it."  He nodded to her appreciatively. 

"It's nice." Xander added grudgingly.

"Green."  Dawn said.  The others looked at her.  "The green shirt…she should wear the green shirt."

"O-ok Dawnie." Willow answered.  "The green's perfect."

"Yah, green's nice." Xander said solemnly.

Dawn stood with her hands at her sides.

Xander sat on the bed with his arms on his knees, looking down at the floor.

Willow stood next to Dawn.  Her arms were folded and her hands cupped her elbows, as if she was very cold.

Spike sat in Buffy's chair with his hand over his face.  It was impossible to tell if he was crying or not.

Buffy's face, which hung in a wooden frame on the opposing wall, smiled cheerfully at them all.