Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe, Buffyverse or anything else you may recognize

Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.

This chapter was obviously rather hard to do.

guest: Thanks for the review. Glad you liked the changes. Yup, good riddance. No kidding.

Chapter 20- The Body

Summers House

Buffy entered the house and called out. "Hey, Mom."

She turned, seeing some flowers on the table beside the door. "Ooh."

She opened the card that came with the flowers. It read: "Thank you for a _lovely_ evening. See you soon? Brian."

"Still a couple of guys gettin' it right", Buffy said.

She turned to call up the stairs, putting down her jacket. "Hey. Flower-gettin' lady. Want me to pick Dawn up from school?"

Buffy frowned, looking down the hall toward the kitchen. "Mom?"

She turned and looked in the living room. "What are you doing?"

She walked into the living room, stopping. Joyce was lying on the sofa. Her eyes were open, staring sightlessly at the ceiling. One arm hung loosely over the edge of the sofa. She did not move or blink.

Buffy asked quietly. "Mom?" She got even quieter. "Mom?" She asked very quietly. "Mommy?"

Buffy rushed over and began shaking Joyce by the shoulders. "Mom! Mom! Mom, Mom, Mom-"

She repeated the word many times and then shouted it in Joyce's face, getting no reaction. Buffy got up, panting and sniffling. She picked up her phone and dialed 911. She fidgeted anxiously while it rang.

"911 emergency."

"Hello?"

"Do you have..."

"My mom, she, she's not breathing."

"Is she conscious?"

Buffy moved back into living room. "No. I-I-I can't, she, she's not breathing."

"OK, I need you to give me your address."

"What?"

"I'm gonna send an ambulance over."

"Si-Sixteen thirty Rivelo, it-it's a house, Rivelo near Hadley."

"I'm sending a unit right away. Are you alone in the house?"

"Yes."

"Well, did you see what happened, did she fall?"

"No, no, I-I came home and she-what should I do?"

"Do you know how to administer CPR?"

Buffy was upset. "No, I don't remember."

"Okay, it's very simple. You wanna tilt your mother's head back. Cover her mouth with yours, and breathe into her mouth."

The operator continued talking but Buffy put the phone down and moved toward Joyce.

"I know this. I know this. God."

She put the phone down and took hold of Joyce's legs, pulling Joyce down across the sofa so that she lay flat. "I can do this. Okay. Okay."

She tilted Joyce's head back, opened her mouth, pinched Joyce's nose shut and breathed into Joyce's mouth twice. Then she began chest compressions. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight..."

She made a face, did two more breaths and resumed compressions. "One, two, three..."

There was a cracking noise.

"Oh! Oh god."

She reached for the phone. "I, are you there? I, I broke something."

"Hello?"

"It cracked."

"Is she breathing?"

"No."

"Paramedics should be there in a moment. You might have cracked a rib. It's not important."

Buffy put her hand on Joyce's. "She's cold. Beat."

"The body's cold?"

"No, my mom! Sh-should I make her warm?"

"No ... if she's not responding to CPR, the best thing is to wait for the paramedics, okay?"

Buffy was slightly angry. "When will they be here?"

"They're very nearby."

Buffy dropped the phone to her side and looked up at the window, standing up. Bright sunshine streamed in the window. It was totally quiet except the faint sound of the 911 operator's voice. Buffy brought the phone back up to her ear.

"I have to make a call", she said very quietly.

She pressed the hang-up button. Buffy dialed again. It rang.

"Hello?"

"Giles. You have to come."

"Buffy?"

"She's at the house."

She turned the phone off, turning to look over her shoulder. She walked to the front door, opened it and looked out. A siren and the sound of the ambulance coming to a stop was heard. Buffy went back inside, leaving the door open. Buffy walked back into the living room. Joyce was still lying on the sofa. Buffy stared at her as she heard the ambulance doors close and footsteps approach.

Buffy glanced anxiously toward the door, went over and pulled Joyce's skirt down to cover her slip. She turned and went back to the doorway separating the living room from the foyer. "She's in here."

Two male paramedics entered, carrying equipment. Buffy watched anxiously as they put their stuff down and checked Joyce. The first one put his hand on Joyce's throat. "I'm getting no pulse."

"Let's lay her out."

They lifted Joyce onto the floor. The first one had a stethoscope and a flashlight.

"How long's she been like this?" The other one asked Buffy.

"I found her, a-a few, few minutes."

The first one checked Joyce's eyes. The second one attached some wires to Joyce's chest. "Was she conscious?"

"No."

"I'm bagging her."

"What?" Buffy asked.

"We're gonna intubate. Just trying to get her to breathe, all right?"

Buffy nodded. The first one reached for more equipment while the other asked. "This your mother?"

"Yes."

"She have any serious physical health problems, any history of heart disease?"

"No."

Then she said. "I mean, there, there was a tumor", the first one inserted a tube in Joyce's mouth, "a brain tumor, but she had an operation and she's fine now. She, she's been fine."

Joyce's face had an oxygen mask covering it. The first one held the mask in place while the second was doing chest compressions. The machine made a rhythmic breath-like sound. The second checked Joyce's wrist for a pulse, resuming chest compressions. Suddenly Joyce began to cough and gasp. The first one removed the mask. "I got her! My god, we got her!"

"Let's get her on the truck now. I'm calling ahead."

The two paramedics stood up as Buffy rushed forward. Joyce opened her eyes and looked at her.

"Buffy", she called out.

"I'm here."

Buffy and Joyce were in the ambulance with the paramedics.

"It's a miracle. That's what it is, a beautiful miracle."

Joyce was in a hospital bed, Dawn sitting on the bed beside her, Buffy and a doctor standing next to the bed.

"Good as new", the doctor said.

Joyce said to Buffy. "Buffy, thank god you found me in ti-"

Buffy stared at the paramedics working on her mom in the living room, brought out of her imagination. Utter silence except the sound of the paramedic continuing CPR.

He stopped CPR and turned to the first. "She's cold, man."

Buffy stared wide-eyed.

"Call it."

The first looked grim, beginning to pack up his stuff. Buffy's lower lip began to tremble. The second stood up slowly and walked toward Buffy. He appeared blurry to her.

"I'm sorry."

"Wha-what do we do now?"

"I'm sorry, but I have to tell you that..."

Buffy stared up at him wide-eyed.

"...your mother's dead."

Buffy stared.

"It looks like she did die a good while before you found her. There's .. nothing you could have done."

The first packed up, removing the wires from Joyce's chest.

"W-what..."

"I'm guessing it must have been an aneurysm or some clotting. Some complication from surgery. She probably felt..."

Buffy stared at him with tears in her eyes.

"...very little pain. I'm gonna call it in. The coroner's office will come by and take her in, and they'll determine the cause of death conclusively."

Buffy continued to stare at him. The ambulance radio was heard. "Dispatch 7, we have a 206, what's your status?"

"We're moving."

"Location is Beaumont and 9th, your gig is on the street, go now."

"Okay. We gotta fly."

"All right", the second turned to Buffy. "I'm gonna call this right away. Now the coroner's office may take a while. In the meanwhile, I think you should sit. Have a glass of water, and try not to disturb the body."

Buffy still stared up at him.

"Do you need anything, is there someone you can call?"

Buffy said softly. "Someone's coming."

The first walked to the doorway carrying his stuff. "Let's go."

The second turned to pick up his stuff, turning back to Buffy. "I'm very sorry for your loss."

"Thank you."

He exited, leaving the front door open.

Buffy walked to the door, still holding the phone, and looked out. "Good luck."

The ambulance doors closed, the engine starting, driving away.

Buffy turned and walked back inside, still holding her phone, still looking dazed. She looked toward Joyce. The ambulance siren started up. Buffy turned and walked toward the kitchen, putting down her phone on a table. She got to the back of the living room just before the kitchen door.

Suddenly she fell to her knees and vomited on the floor. The sound of wind chimed over the retching noises.

Buffy stood up slowly. She put a hand on her stomach, walking through the kitchen to the back door, opening it and looking out. She heard birds singing, distant voices, ordinary city noises. She stood there for a moment, then turned back inside, leaning on the door for support.

She looked at the kitchen island, going over to it and took a bunch of paper towels off the roll. Leaving the back door open, she went back into the living room and put the paper towels over the spot on the carpet where she vomited. The moisture began to seep through.

"Buffy!"

Buffy turned.

Giles stood in the front door, panting. "What is it? Is it Glory?"

Buffy stood. "I'm waiting. The, the coroner's coming."

"What?" Giles took a few steps inside.

Buffy looked down, thinking. "I have to tell Dawn. She's at school."

She looked up. "I'll go there."

"I'm not sure..." Giles looked to his left and saw Joyce for the first time. "Oh god."

He rushed toward her.

"No. No. Don't. No, it's too late." Buffy rushed after Giles.

"Joyce?"

"They're, they're coming for her, no, no, we're-"

Buffy rounded the corner and found Giles bending over Joyce, shaking her. "Joyce!"

Buffy desperately said. "We're not supposed to move the body!"

Giles turned to look at her. Buffy looked aghast, putting her hand to her mouth as she realized what she said. Giles got up quickly, going over to Buffy and putting his arms around her. Buffy stared in shock past Giles's shoulder at Joyce. Joyce was lying on the carpet. Her eyes were still open.

Later

Joyce was zipped into a body bag.

Later, Sunnydale Junior High

Peter and Dawn were together in a class as he said. "Hey."

"Hey", Dawn greeted back.

"So, I heard Kirsty was telling stories about you", Peter said.

"Urggh, bee-yotch", Dawn said.

"Well, there can always be stories about how her boyfriend and friend beat each other up instead of me and got detention", Peter reminded as Dawn chuckled.

She then said. "She's so superficial. Everything's always about clothes, or who likes who, and...", unseesn to them, Buffy entered the classroom, walking over to the teacher, "there's just way more important stuff going on. There's a lot of ... crucial ... you know ... stuff."

"Yeah", Peter nodded.

Dawn then started. "Uh, this one time in history, uh", Buffy began walking down the aisle toward Dawn, "she had this book called Annals of History, and she didn't know how to say the word "annals"", Peter looked amused, "so she kept saying-"

"Dawn."

Dawn turned, still smiling. Buffy stared at her. Dawn stopped smiling.

"I have to talk to you."

Dawn looked apprehensive. The teacher watched.

"Um..."

"What?"

"Can it wait? I'm in the middle of a class."

"I know. Please come with me", Buffy asked. Peter watched. Dawn walked with Buffy toward the door.

"I thought Mom was picking me up."

Buffy closed the classroom door behind them as they exited into the hall.

"What's going on? Something's going on", Dawn realized.

"Let's go outside", Buffy suggested.

"No. Tell me what's going on."

Kirsty and her friends in the hallway looked over.

"It's ... bad ... news."

Dawn crossed her arms anxiously over her chest. "Well, what is it? What happened?"

Peter and Lisa were watching from the classroom

"It's bad. Please, can we-"

"Where's Mom?" Dawn asked loudly.

Buffy was teary-eyed. "Mom ... had an accident. Or, um..."

Lisa walked toward the window, staring.

"...something went ... wrong from the tumor."

Dawn had tears in her eyes. "Is she okay? Is she ... but she's okay? But ... it's, it's serious, but..."

"Dawn..."

Peter and Lisa looked at the two in the hallway through the glass, and even the rest of the class did, including the teacher.

Dawn slowly began to cry as the news sank in. She put her hand over her mouth. The class could hear her, but very faintly.

"No."

Dawn shook her head and backed away from Buffy.

"No, it's not true. No, you're a liar, she's fine!"

Dawn crumpled to the floor sobbing.

Peter watched, then looked away. The teacher and the other students moved toward the glass and watched as Buffy kneeled, trying to comfort Dawn.

Tara turned to Willow on seeing Xander and Anya arriving in their car. "I think they're here."

Willow was still frozen holding the shirt. She reacted, returning from her thoughts, looking at the shirt, turned and tossed it onto the bed. There was a pile of clothing there already.

"Do you wanna come up?" Xander asked Anya.

Anya looked around, then at him. "You're double-parked."

Xander opened the door. "Let 'em give me a ticket."

They both got out.

Willow took two more shirts out of the closet and turned to Tara. "What do you think? The, the, the purple, right? 'Cause, 'cause it's somber?"

Tara stood by the window.

"No. No, it's too depressing, i-it's like, um, a ... funeral, god, I ...", she held up the other shirt, which was yellow. "Well, this is, this is cheerier, maybe, I-I wanna be cheery, like, like everything is normal?"

Tara just watched.

"No, that's rude, that's, that's disrespectful. "La la la! I don't care!""

She tossed both blouses on the bed with a sigh.

"If I had that blue one –" she turned back to the closet, then back. "Jo-Joyce really liked the blue one. She told me one time. You, you sure it's not in your room?"

Tara took a few steps closer. "I-I-I could look again."

"No, no, I-I, I should, I should wear the purple", she picked up the purple blouse from the bed. "The purple, I, I, I think the purple, it's just that it's so, I don't know", she looked at Tara, "i-it doesn't mean something bad?"

"I think it's, um ... royal. Purple means ... royalty."

Willow had tears running down her face. "Well, I can't see Buffy at the morgue and be all royal! "Oh, I'm the king of everything, I'm better than you!" I have to be supportive, I, Buffy needs me to be supportive, I..."

She began crying as Tara looked on with concern. Willow picked up another shirt. "God, why do all my shirts have such stupid things on them?" She tossed it back down. "Why can't I just dress like a grownup? Can't I be a grownup?"

"Shh", Tara came over and put her hands on Willow's shoulders, rubbing her shoulders and neck. "Shh, darling."

Willow was crying. "I can't do this."

Tara kissed her on the forehead, then on the mouth. Willow returned the kiss. Then Tara leaned her forehead against Willow's. "We can do this."

They both nodded.

Tara continued rubbing Willow's shoulders.

"Okay. We can be there for Buffy. And Dawn", she cried. "Little Dawn."

"We can be strong", Tara said.

"Strong like an Amazon?"

"Strong like an Amazon, right."

They both smiled slightly.

"Okay", Willow nodded, sniffling. "I wish I had the blue."

"So ... what do we do?" Anya asked.

"I'm not sure. We'll, uh, talk to Giles", Xander said.

"Xander, what will we do? What will we be expected to do?" Anya asked.

Xander looked at her but didn't answer. He walked up to the door of room 213. The door was slightly ajar. Xander knocked, pushed it open and entered. Tara was against the far wall. Willow appeared from around the corner. She wore a greenish shirt with a red cardigan over it.

"Hey."

Xander and Willow hugged while Tara and Anya stood there looking uncomfortable. They pulled apart.

"How you doing?"

Willow shrugged, shaking her head and rolled her eyes, hugging herself.

"I know the feeling."

"I'm afraid I'm gonna start to cry again", Willow said.

Anya said softly. "Xander cried at the apartment. It was weird."

"I-i-it's a, it's a thing we do", Willow said.

"What's going to happen?" Anya asked.

"Well, I ... I guess we're gonna ... meet them at the morgue", Willow whispered. "That's where they were ... taking ... her."

"Um, Giles said that he, he was gonna go with Joyce, and Buffy was gonna go to ... the school to ... tell Dawn", Tara said.

Xander looked upset, closing his eyes. "God."

Tara started. "Do you know how to, how to get-"

"Yeah. It's at the hospital, it's a wing. We do morgue time in the Scooby gang", Xander said.

Willow looked anxiously at Tara. "I have to change."

She removed her cardigan, tossing it aside, then went off to get another shirt.

"What else did Giles say?" Xander asked.

Tara shrugged, shaking her head. "Not a lot."

"Are they sure this was ... natural? I mean, Glory."

"Uh, Giles was pretty sure that it wasn't, wasn't her."

"But, I mean, she said she was gonna come after Buffy's family."

"I don't-"

"I mean, we should be going after her. I mean, she coulda done it, and, and, covered her tracks."

Anya looked confused. Willow reappeared, now wearing a pink turtleneck. "Why would she? She'd want us to know."

Xander looked upset. "I'll tell you what it is. It's the frickin' doctors. I mean, they just let her out, you know? Clean bill of health. Dig a hole in your skull. Here's a band-aid. Next!"

Tara looked concerned and upset.

"Xander..."

"They should have checked her over, they should have had her in. Well, don't we have enough monsters in this town, the doctors gotta help 'em out?"

Willow gently said. "Xander, I-I don't think it was ... any ... it just happened."

Xander looked at the three. "Things don't happen!" He frowned. "I mean ... they don't just happen. Somebody...I mean, somebody's got..."

"Okay", Willow put up her fists. "Let's go. Come on, you and me. Come on."

Xander stared at her, then sighed. He walked over to her, kissing her on the forehead. Tara watched sadly. "You know I can't take you."

"Damn straight."

Xander moved back a little.

"Are we gonna see the body?" Anya asked.

Willow was shocked. "What?"

Xander looked annoyed, turning away.

"Are we gonna be in the room ... with the dead body?"

"I don't know. No", Willow said.

Tara said. "But I guess we should take over patrolling and all that."

"Yeah", Xander agreed.

"Oh, yeah", Willow said.

"For however long", Tara said.

"You know it", Xander said.

Willow looked at herself unhappily, then at Tara. "I can't wear this." She turned to change again. "I really should have the other. Joyce liked it so."

"Do you think you coulda left it in the laundry room?" Tara asked.

Willow frowned, nodding hopefully. "Maybe."

"I'll go check. I'll, I'll just be one minute", Tara said as she walked out.

"We're cool", Xander said.

Anya walked around the room a bit, aimlessly, then turned back. "Are they gonna cut the body open?"

Willow was horrified. "Oh my god! Would you just ... stop talking? Just ... shut your mouth. Please."

"What am I doing?" Anya asked.

"How can you act like that?" Willow asked.

"Am I supposed to be changing my clothes a lot?" Anya looked from Willow to Xander. "Is that the helpful thing to do?"

Xander tried to make peace. "Guys..."

"The way you behave-"

"Nobody will tell me."

"Because it's not okay for you to be asking these things!"

Anya was desperate. "But I don't understand!"

Willow and Xander looked at her in surprise.

Anya was crying. "I don't understand how this all happens. How we go through this. I mean, I knew her, and then she's", she sniffled, "there's just a body, and I don't understand why she just can't get back in it and not be dead anymore. It's stupid. It's mortal and stupid", she was still teary. "And, and Xander's crying and not talking, and, and I was having fruit punch, and I thought, well, Joyce will never have any more fruit punch ever, and she'll never have eggs, or yawn or brush her hair, not ever, and no one will explain to me why!"

She stopped and put her hand over her face, crying. Willow had tears in her eyes too. Xander went over to Anya but she pushed him away, then went and sat down in a papasan chair by the window. Xander went back to the doorway.

Willow said to Anya. "We don't know ... how it works..." Anya wiped her face with her hands, "or why."

Willow went and sat on the bed. Xander paced back and forth in front of the open door.

Suddenly there was a loud banging noise. Willow and Anya jumped, looking up. They saw Xander in the doorway with his left hand stretched out, obscured by the wall. "Sorry, sorry, some ... pent-up..."

Willow got up. "Xander..."

Willow walked around the corner and discovered Xander's hand was buried in a hole in the wall. "Where did your hand go?"

"As I was saying, some frustration, and now, uh ... I appear to be stuck", Xander said.

"My god", Anya ducked under his arm to get to the other side. "Is your hand okay?"

"Pretty much. I, I'm really sorry."

Willow examined the hole where Xander's fist had broken through the wall.

Anya was angry. "You could have hit an electrical..." she gestured vaguely, "thing!"

"And once again with the sorry."

Anya crouched down to look at the hole from underneath.

"Did it make you feel better?" Willow asked.

Anya looked up at Xander. "For a second there."

"A whole second?"

"In my defense, some crappy wallmanship."

"Yeah, you can hear everything next door."

Willow and Anya pulled at Xander's arm trying to free it.

"Who did the drywall in this place?" Xander asked.

"I always forget to ask", Willow said.

Tara appeared in the doorway. "Did I miss something?"

"Xander decided that he blames the wall", Anya said.

"Can you ... turn your wrist?" Willow asked.

"Hold on", he twisted his arm and pulled it out of the wall. His knuckles were covered in blood. All the girls went "ooh" in concern.

"It's okay", he flexed his hand.

Anya looked pensively at Xander's hand.

"It hurts", Tara said. Xander looked at her. She gave a small sympathetic smile.

"Here, wash it off", Willow said as Anya lead Xander over to the sink.

"Band-aids?"

"Underneath."

Anya looked under the sink for band-aids as Xander washed his hand.

Tara turned to Willow. "I couldn't find it."

Willow shrugged. "It doesn't matter. We should get there."

"Yes."

"I, I wanna be there for Buffy."

"You're right", Xander said. "The Avengers gotta get to the assembly. We'll go. We'll deal. We'll help. That's what we do. We help Buffy."

He put the towel down and went out. Willow and Tara followed. Anya followed behind.

"How are we going to help?" Anya asked.

They all went out. Anya closed the door behind her. After a moment the door opened again and Willow rushed in. She grabbed her red cardigan and left again.

Outside, on the street below, a police officer was putting a ticket on Xander's car.

Later, hospital

Tara hugged Dawn, followed by Peter, as Xander hugged Buffy, followed by May.

Xander said. "If there's anything we can do."

"Glad you're here", Dawn said.

Xander hugged Giles as Willow hugged Buffy, and then Peter as well.

"Love you so much", Willow said.

"I know", Buffy said.

"They're not telling us anything", Dawn told Peter and Tara.

"It takes time", Peter simply told her.

May was looking around when suddenly Anya hugged him. She looked surprised, then hugged her back.

Giles noticed the doctor. "Doctor?"

Everyone looked over at the doctor. He walked forward. Buffy, Peter, Giles, and Dawn came forward to meet him. The others stayed behind in a little group.

"Okay, I've examined your mother's body", Kriegel said.

"Can we see her?" Dawn asked.

"Dawn, not now", Buffy said.

"The on-site report seems more or less accurate. Your mother did have what looks like an aneurysm. A sudden hemorrhaging from a ruptured arterial vessel near the, uh ... where the tumor was removed."

"Shouldn't we have known about that, that ... was a danger?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah, things like this can't go unnoticed", Peter said.

"Sometimes these things are detectable, and sometimes they're not", Kriegel said. "Joyce was aware of the possibility of a rupture, and the effects. She didn't even get on the phone, so clearly this was very sudden. She, uh, may have felt a little nausea, and probably passed out as it happened. I doubt there was much pain, and ... even if someone had been by her side..."

Joyce was in the living room, Buffy by her side. Buffy took Joyce's hand in concern as Joyce sat on the sofa. "My head..."

"Mom?"

Buffy, Joyce, and the paramedic were in the ambulance.

Dawn, Joyce, Buffy, and the doctor were in the hospital.

"...it's doubtful that this could have been dealt with in time", Krigel said sympathetically, bringing Buffy back to reality.

Giles nodded. "Uh, thank you, Doctor."

"Are you sure...that there wasn't a lot of pain?"

Kriegel nodded. "Absolutely."

The doctor's mouth continued to move, but what Buffy hear was different from what she was thinking, not what he was actually saying.

"I have to lie to make you feel better", Buffy imagined him saying.

"So, anything to be done?" Peter simply asked.

"Well, there, uh, there'll be some forms, and some decisions you'll need to make."

"Uh, Buffy, why don't you let me handle those as much as I can", Giles offered.

"Please."

Kriegel said to Buffy. "We will need you to ... sign a couple of release forms."

"Yes, thank you, Doctor", Giles said.

The doctor nodded, then moved away.

"I'll, uh, figure out which ones you need to see", Giles told Buffy.

"We'll be here", Buffy said.

Giles went off with the doctor as the others approached.

"What'd the doctor say?" Xander asked.

"Nothing. Uh, it's, you know, it's what we thought, the tumor", Buffy said.

"An aneurysm developed from it", Peter said.

"Why don't we sit down?" Willow took both Buffy and Dawn by the hands and lead them to a sofa. She and Buffy sat. Tara sat on Buffy's other side. Peter, Anya, Xander, and Dawn remained standing.

"Giles says he's gonna go over the paperwork", Buffy said.

"Man, if there's one day they should not give you homework", Xander sighed.

"Dawn, do you wanna sit?" May offered. Dawn shook her head.

"I don't think we're gonna have to be here very long", Buffy said.

"What about... "

"What about what?"

"Nothing. I have to pee", Dawn said.

"Do you want someone to go with you?" Buffy asked.

"No. I still remember how to pee", Dawn turned away.

"Do you know where it is?" Peter asked.

"Yeah", she walked off.

"I think maybe she's ... mad at me or something", Buffy said.

"Because you told her, right?" Peter asked and she nodded.

"How'd she take it?" Xander asked.

"Meltdown. She just wouldn't believe me. I still don't think she does."

Anya said a little too loudly. "I wish that Joyce didn't die..."

Everyone looked at her.

She said a little softly "...because she was nice. And now we all hurt."

"Anya, ever the wordsmith", Xander said embarrassed.

Anya looked hopefully at Buffy.

"Thank you", Buffy said.

Xander looked a little surprised.

Willow asked. "Do you want anything? Something to eat, or ... soda?"

"Honestly, I ... couldn't tell", Buffy said.

"Well, I-I think you should try to eat something", Willow said.

"Yeah, maybe Dawn could use a snack", Buffy agreed.

"I'll, I'll find something", she got up. "Xander, do you have any money?"

"We'll come with", Xander said.

"I'm coming too", May said as she got up.

"We'll be right quick", Willow told Buffy. May, Willow, Xander, and Anya left.

Buffy and Tara were now on the sofa next to each other. Peter sat on Buffy's other side. They looked at each other, then away.

"I'm sorry ... you have to go through all of this", Buffy muttered to the floor.

"You don't have to worry about me", Tara said.

"Everybody wants to help", the two looked at her. "I don't even know if I'm ... here", they looked away. "I don't know what's going on. Never done this", she paused. "That's just an amazingly dumb thing to say. Obviously ... I've never done this before. Beat."

"I have", both Peter and Tara said at the same time, then looked at each other as Buffy looked over at them.

"My mother died when I was seventeen", Tara said.

"My uncle died about two years ago", Peter sighed.

"I didn't know. I'm sorry", Buffy said.

"No, no, I didn't mean to ..." Tara sighed. "I'm only telling you this because ... I know it's not m-my place, but ..." she paused. "There's things ... thoughts and reactions I had that ... I couldn't ... understand ... or even try to explain to anyone else. Thoughts that ... made me feel like I was losing it ... or, like I was some kind of ho-horrible person. I know it's different for you ... because it's always different, but ... if you ever need..."

She trailed off. They sat there looking at each other. Then they looked down at the floor.

"I first felt sad, then angry, then sad again, then guilty", Peter sighed, as he always thought it was his fault.

Buffy looked back up at them.

"Was it sudden?"

"What?"

"Your mother and uncle."

"No", Tara thought. "Yes", she paused. "It's always sudden."

"It came out of nowhere", Peter said sadly.

Dawn came out of the bathroom. She looked around the corner into the waiting room, seeing Buffy, Peter and Tara talking. She saw the morgue door. A red sign on the door read "AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY." Dawn went over to that door. Dawn opened the door and entered. It was fairly dark.

She looked behind her, beginning to walk slowly down the hallway.

Utter silence.

She could see through the second door to where the doctor's desk was. Dawn opened the door, going inside, turned and bolted the door shut. She turned back and walked slowly past the row of bodies covered by sheets, toward the one at the end.

Complete silence.

Dawn walked up to the last table, farthest from the door. She stared at the shape on the table, closed her eyes, opening them. She reached out a hand. Dawn pulled her hand back without removing the sheet, took a step back, swallowing with difficulty. Behind her, on the farthest table, a body suddenly sat up and removed the sheet covering it. Dawn didn't notice this.

Still complete silence.

The person on the table sat up. It was a male vampire. He looked around, seeing Dawn, smiled slightly and put the sheet aside, swinging his legs over the side of the table. He walked to her.

Dawn turned, seeing him, then began to draw breath for a scream.

Peter, Buffy and Tara sat together. May, Xander, Willow, and Anya returned with their arms full of soda cans, junk food, and coffee cups.

"We panicked", Willow said.

"So we bought too much", May sighed.

Buffy looked nervously at the stuff. "Uh-huh."

"Have anything you want."

"The sandwiches are meat", Anya said.

"I'm just not hungry", Buffy sighed.

"What about Dawnie?" Willow asked.

"Is she still in the bathroom?" Xander asked.

"Maybe", Peter said.

Buffy frowned. "I guess." She got up. "You guys wait here."

Buffy walked over to the hallway, looked at the door marked "Women," then looked across to the door marked "AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY." She went to the second door, opening it. Buffy walked down the dark hallway, first slowly, then faster. She heard a distant scream. Buffy came to the second door, looking through the window and saw Dawn struggling as the vampire was behind her and had her by the arms. Dawn shrieked and struggled. Buffy shoved the door but it was still locked. Buffy threw herself against it and it burst open.

The vampire pulled Dawn up against him and bended his head to bite. Buffy ran up behind him and grabbed him around the neck, grunting. Dawn yelped and continued struggling. Buffy pulled the vampire back and he lost his grip on Dawn, who went flying forward, crashing into the gurney. As she fell to the floor, she accidentally pulled the sheet so it fell down a bit, exposing Joyce's head.

Buffy struggled with the vampire, he hit her in the stomach and she lost her grip, stumbling backward. He grabbed her by the neck, growling. They struggled. Buffy tried to reach his face but couldn't, so she kneed him in the groin. He spun her around and slammed her into a table covered with medical instruments, which crashed to the floor. Buffy and the vampire also fell to the floor.

Dawn looked up at the gurney.

Buffy was on the floor with the vampire on top of her. She punched him in the face and they rolled over so she was on top. As they struggled, she reached out and grabs a medical instrument that looked like a short saw. She put it against the vampire's throat as he grabbed her face. His hand fell aside and Buffy shoved the saw through his neck, cutting off his head. He exploded into dust and Buffy fell aside, lying on her back, the saw clattering away. Buffy lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling with a small frown. Then she rolled over. "Dawn?"

Buffy sat up halfway, stopping when she saw Dawn. Slowly, Dawn pulled herself up to a kneeling position so she could see Joyce's face. Joyce's eyes were still open.

Not taking her eyes off Joyce, Dawn asked. "Is she cold?"

Buffy whispered. "It's not her ... it's not her ... she's gone."

Dawn frowned. "Where'd she go?"

Dawn lifted her hand and reached out, very slowly. Dawn's hand moved slowly toward her cheek as she almost touched the body.

Well, this was hard to do, obviously. This episode is a masterpiece and my 3rd favorite Buffyverse episode, but I've only seen it thrice, the third time being for this story.

Wanted to do a bit with Peter and May like the show had with Willow, Tara, Xander and Anya, but I didn't feel I could do it justice, so I instead had Peter share some Uncle Ben stuff alongside Tara.

Anyway, see you all next time with another chapter. Stay safe from the coronavirus ya all!