Willow sank into a chair at the Magic Box, and glanced about. Buffy was seated at one end looking all Slayer-like and Dawn was seated across from her staring sullenly back.
"Big fight," Anya said. "Big party Friday, Dawn wants to go, Buffy say's no."
"Anya stay out of it."
"My store, you wanna fight here don't expect me not to have an opinion. Besides, me and Dawn have one thing in common, you not being my Mom."
"Who is totally cool with the idea of Dawn attending the party, as long as Buffy picks her up there at a reasonable hour."
"See," Dawn cried gleefully.
"Willow," Buffy cried, "You're not helping." She glared at Dawn who quickly lost the grin. Both jerked their heads towards Willow."
"You talked to my Mom?"
"No," said Willow. "I talked to Warren who talked to your Mom. I'm just another link in the communications chain."
"What's Warren doing talking to my Mom," Buffy demanded.
"I don't know," exploded Willow. "I don't know how she even got involved, or why Cordelia's there, or anything. I'm just messenger girl just like Warren's messenger bo except I got my skin and he doesn't and it would be so much better if he had skin and Cordelia fixed it so that he does have skin except that I don't get to see it because of what I did which is totally unfair because of what he did to Tara and....Oh God Oh God Oh God I didn't say that did I cause I didn't mean to say it or even to think it and I am sorry truly I am but it's so hard seeing him all bloody and no skin and veiny and..."
"Willow." Buffy rushed around to grab the girl's shoulders. "Willow. Breathe."
"What....oh...yes...breathe."
"Before you babble yourself to death." Dawn grinned, before she remembered who it was she was talking to. She was getting better at accepting Willow back into her life, but she had made it clear, she didn't want her in the same house as she was." She was getting better. Really she was.
Satisfied that Willow was going to be okay, Buffy returned to her seat and slumped back into it, not willing to give voice to her whirling thoughts. Suddenly her head jerked up. "You say that Cordelia is there?"
"Yes."
"Angel never....when....she's dead?"
"No, not dead. Some kind of demoness, I think. Anyway the Powers want her there, for now anyway."
It was getting too much for Buffy. Her dead Mom giving her advice from beyond, her friends, well she didn't reallyy know what Cordelia was, becoming weirdness. She felt the need to change the subject.
"So when did Giles say he was coming back?"
///////////
Xander stood in the corner of the hospital room, watching the grieving family gathered around the child's bed, listening to the soft beeping of the monitors. He was stretching a point. He knew he was stretching a point, but he would not claim this child until he had to. He could see the love in the parent's eyes as they looked at her, and wished that he could have seen it in his parents eyes. But some things were never meant to be, and soon he would have to announce his presence. Not to the family, they couldn't see him but to the child. Who, like all the other souls he had helped, knew what was going on, but the child didn't have the words to say it or the understanding to explain it. She only knew that she was going away. She had told her mother that, just as Xander had entered the room. Her Mother had smiled, and told her that yes she would be going away as soon as she was better and ready to be taken home. Only Xander saw the sadness in the daughter's eyes that matched the one in the mother's eyes, mirroring the fathers. He knew they all felt the same thing. They all knew she was going to die.
It was time. Xander stepped forward, feeling the familiar glow form around him. No one but the child saw.
"Hello," she said.
"Honey?" asked the mother. "But we already said hello, when we got here."
"I know, the the man is here, the one who's come to take me away." The mother looked around confused. "There's nobody here, just Daddy and you and me. Uncle Rupert just went out into the hall. He'll be here soon."
"I'm here..." Xander turned to see Giles looking at him, shocked. Shit. He had forgotten that Giles had family visiting from England, and they had a small child who had leukemia. He'd forgotten that Giles could see him in this state. Shit. He had been so busy that he'd barely had more than time for a quick hello. He never even saw the child, uh Sylvia, . Until now. He felt like crap.
"With one final apologetic glance at Giles, he stepped towards the bed.
"Hello," he said to the child, who smiled in greeting. "You come to take me away."
"No honey. Uncle Rupert just came to see you. Mommy told you the Doctor's will say hen we can tke you home. You have to get better first, then we'll take you home and we'll have good times, like we always do."
Slvia smiled at her mother. "It's okay Mom. It's going to be okay." Her voice grew smaller as if she was growing more tired, sleepier. "Bye Mom, Dad."
Giles wanted to scream out a warning, about what he knew, about watching Xander, Angel of Death leaning over his small neice's bed, more a crib really, and reaching a hand to her. But he didn't. Nothing would change what was happening, except his brother and his wife would think him odd, and be distracted from the last moments of their daughter's life. He couldn't do that to them, so he watched ad Sylvia reached up her arms to Xander's, except they weren't really Sylvia's arms because they lay at her side. He saw Xander lift Syvia's soul up out of the bed, and start carrying her towads the door. He saw Sylvia, he couldn't think of the body in the bed as Sylvia, not any more, as Xander paused, so he could have a final moment with her. A sob escaped him as Xander exited the room, and slipped to one side to avoid the emergency personnel rushing in. He plaed an arm over his brother's shoulder, and used the other to clasp his sister in law, as shocked realization swept over their faces.
He said nothing as he glo\anced out through the door and into the corridor, and saw Xander's form disappear around a far corner.
"Big fight," Anya said. "Big party Friday, Dawn wants to go, Buffy say's no."
"Anya stay out of it."
"My store, you wanna fight here don't expect me not to have an opinion. Besides, me and Dawn have one thing in common, you not being my Mom."
"Who is totally cool with the idea of Dawn attending the party, as long as Buffy picks her up there at a reasonable hour."
"See," Dawn cried gleefully.
"Willow," Buffy cried, "You're not helping." She glared at Dawn who quickly lost the grin. Both jerked their heads towards Willow."
"You talked to my Mom?"
"No," said Willow. "I talked to Warren who talked to your Mom. I'm just another link in the communications chain."
"What's Warren doing talking to my Mom," Buffy demanded.
"I don't know," exploded Willow. "I don't know how she even got involved, or why Cordelia's there, or anything. I'm just messenger girl just like Warren's messenger bo except I got my skin and he doesn't and it would be so much better if he had skin and Cordelia fixed it so that he does have skin except that I don't get to see it because of what I did which is totally unfair because of what he did to Tara and....Oh God Oh God Oh God I didn't say that did I cause I didn't mean to say it or even to think it and I am sorry truly I am but it's so hard seeing him all bloody and no skin and veiny and..."
"Willow." Buffy rushed around to grab the girl's shoulders. "Willow. Breathe."
"What....oh...yes...breathe."
"Before you babble yourself to death." Dawn grinned, before she remembered who it was she was talking to. She was getting better at accepting Willow back into her life, but she had made it clear, she didn't want her in the same house as she was." She was getting better. Really she was.
Satisfied that Willow was going to be okay, Buffy returned to her seat and slumped back into it, not willing to give voice to her whirling thoughts. Suddenly her head jerked up. "You say that Cordelia is there?"
"Yes."
"Angel never....when....she's dead?"
"No, not dead. Some kind of demoness, I think. Anyway the Powers want her there, for now anyway."
It was getting too much for Buffy. Her dead Mom giving her advice from beyond, her friends, well she didn't reallyy know what Cordelia was, becoming weirdness. She felt the need to change the subject.
"So when did Giles say he was coming back?"
///////////
Xander stood in the corner of the hospital room, watching the grieving family gathered around the child's bed, listening to the soft beeping of the monitors. He was stretching a point. He knew he was stretching a point, but he would not claim this child until he had to. He could see the love in the parent's eyes as they looked at her, and wished that he could have seen it in his parents eyes. But some things were never meant to be, and soon he would have to announce his presence. Not to the family, they couldn't see him but to the child. Who, like all the other souls he had helped, knew what was going on, but the child didn't have the words to say it or the understanding to explain it. She only knew that she was going away. She had told her mother that, just as Xander had entered the room. Her Mother had smiled, and told her that yes she would be going away as soon as she was better and ready to be taken home. Only Xander saw the sadness in the daughter's eyes that matched the one in the mother's eyes, mirroring the fathers. He knew they all felt the same thing. They all knew she was going to die.
It was time. Xander stepped forward, feeling the familiar glow form around him. No one but the child saw.
"Hello," she said.
"Honey?" asked the mother. "But we already said hello, when we got here."
"I know, the the man is here, the one who's come to take me away." The mother looked around confused. "There's nobody here, just Daddy and you and me. Uncle Rupert just went out into the hall. He'll be here soon."
"I'm here..." Xander turned to see Giles looking at him, shocked. Shit. He had forgotten that Giles had family visiting from England, and they had a small child who had leukemia. He'd forgotten that Giles could see him in this state. Shit. He had been so busy that he'd barely had more than time for a quick hello. He never even saw the child, uh Sylvia, . Until now. He felt like crap.
"With one final apologetic glance at Giles, he stepped towards the bed.
"Hello," he said to the child, who smiled in greeting. "You come to take me away."
"No honey. Uncle Rupert just came to see you. Mommy told you the Doctor's will say hen we can tke you home. You have to get better first, then we'll take you home and we'll have good times, like we always do."
Slvia smiled at her mother. "It's okay Mom. It's going to be okay." Her voice grew smaller as if she was growing more tired, sleepier. "Bye Mom, Dad."
Giles wanted to scream out a warning, about what he knew, about watching Xander, Angel of Death leaning over his small neice's bed, more a crib really, and reaching a hand to her. But he didn't. Nothing would change what was happening, except his brother and his wife would think him odd, and be distracted from the last moments of their daughter's life. He couldn't do that to them, so he watched ad Sylvia reached up her arms to Xander's, except they weren't really Sylvia's arms because they lay at her side. He saw Xander lift Syvia's soul up out of the bed, and start carrying her towads the door. He saw Sylvia, he couldn't think of the body in the bed as Sylvia, not any more, as Xander paused, so he could have a final moment with her. A sob escaped him as Xander exited the room, and slipped to one side to avoid the emergency personnel rushing in. He plaed an arm over his brother's shoulder, and used the other to clasp his sister in law, as shocked realization swept over their faces.
He said nothing as he glo\anced out through the door and into the corridor, and saw Xander's form disappear around a far corner.