Emotional Vendor

They walked to the vending hall of the hospital in silence, the death of Joyce Summer's still weighing heavily on the three. Even Anya had swapped her confused and annoying questioning in favour of some quiet reflection in the inane concept of mortality. Xander and Willow turned to smile at each other and as they walked along Willow rested a head on his broad yet drooped shoulders. Anya, usually jealous of this kind of display of affection from the pair simply smiled at the display, happy that he was finding comfort in taking care of his best and oldest friend.

They slowed down and came to sombre stop at the vending machines and for a moment all they could do was stair at their contents as they became painfully aware that they failed to ask what Buffy and Dawn would like to eat or drink. Tapping the side of the vending machine forcefully Xander cursed himself silently for forgetting something as simple as to ask what they would like. He started to speak but then stopped much to the confusion of the girls.

Playing with the end of her fingers and through biting her nails Willow asked, "What now? I…I can't remember what Buffy and Dawn like." There was defeated tone to her voice almost as if she should know better. Looking at the floor ad back up again she saw Anya idly touch the drinks machine. "Joyce liked tea, she was always asking us to drink tea." Looking away and at Xander and Anya's dejected faces she followed up with, "Maybe we shouldn't get tea." There was a short pause and Xander pointed a finger in the air. "How about candy? Don't these sorts if things require Candy and maybe ice cream of some kind?"

Willow screwed up her face, unsure. "I think that's more when you break up with someone, not when you lose a member of the family, besides that might remind Giles of the Ban Candy night too much." It was the first time the Scooby gang had entertained the possibility that Giles could be hurting too. They always saw the librarian as the father figure, the rock, the man from England who put his feelings aside to concentrate on what needed to be done but in a caring and sensitive way. The thought that he might be hurting scorched them all for a moment.

"Maybe we should just get one of everything, then Buffy can decide." Xander contributed, to the group and in the few seconds it took to think about it, somehow it didn't seem like such a bad idea. They each silently reached into their pockets and pulled out as much change as possible and with their arm laden with sugar, snack food and sandwiches, they made their way back to Buffy, yet as they rounded the corner suddenly this seemed like a dumb idea and as they approached Buffy and Tara, Willow offered an explanation to the saddened, confused Slayer.

"We panicked."