"Hey Dawn" Xander grinned as he enter the Summer's living room where Dawn was ensconced on the sofa, staring glumly at the television screen. "I hear you had way too much fun today."
"So Anya got scared." Dawn looked up sullenly. "You come to yell at me too?"
"Nope no yelling, but if I did I'd say something like pissing off an ex-vengeance demon, particularly one who's got contacts in the demon world, just isn't the most brilliant of ideas."
Dawn rolled her eyes. "That's not quite the way Mom or Buffy put it."
"They yelled at you huh?"
"In stereo. About how I shouldn't abuse my powers or have any fun with them."
"Well fun is sort of a subjective thing. You had fun but Anya didn't."
Dawn looked down. "I guess not."
"C'mon we got a pick up to make."
"I'm grounded until they need me to move people to this world."
"Well, your Mom is going to come with us, and Buffy won't know anything about it."
What if she returns before we get back."
"She'll see you sitting on the couch. You'll be astral projecting, just as Giles, Wes and Riley did the other day. Cordy'll be here to make sure nothing happens to your body."
"Won't Buffy suspect something when she finds the prom-queen sitting by my lifeless body?"
"Easy, Buffy won't see her. Just your sleeping body." Xander grinned. "Besides, we should be back before she returns."
"Okay," Dawn sighed. "What do I do?"
"Just lean back and close your eyes."
Dawn felt like she was floating and she was soon standing in her living room, looking at her own body. She also saw a silvery line stretching from her to her body.
"That's what keeps you attached to your body," Xander explained. "Death is what happens when that cord gets cut."
"Are we ready," a new voice said.
"Mom," squeaked Dawn. "I did tell you how sorry I was didn't I?"
"You did," Joyce said sternly. "I just think you need to see what could possibly happen if Anya had been scared enough."
"But she di....." Dawn stopped arguing and looked around amazed. They were no longer in her living room, but instead in a corridor in the hospital. "How...how???"
"Kind of fast isn't it." Xander looked around and turned to Joyce and Dawn. "Nobody can see or hear us," he said for Dawn's benefit. "We just have to wait a bit."
The wait wasn't very long as Xander stood as the EMT crew left the room. He entered to see an elderly lady lying in the bed, with an equally elderly man sitting , head bowed, in the chair beside the bed. Xander approached the bed, the unseen glow filling the room.
"You remember Buffy was out on patrol last night? Well she saved this couple from a vampire attack." Xander moved towards the bed, and the woman began to sit up, just like she had thousands of time when she woke up in the morning and sat up in bed. Except this time her body stayed, lying in the bed. Sharp apprehension filled eyes found Xander and fixed on his face. She didn't notice either Joyce or Dawn.
"Her name is Ruth Fitzgerald. She fainted while Buffy was fighting off the vampires, and never recovered. The shock was too much." Xander held out an arm which Mrs. Fitzgerald took, and used to help her get out of the bed. "She lived a hard life, and was a humourless woman." Xander shook his head. "She went to Church every Sunday because that was what she always did, but she didn't really believe. Life was what you make of it, and she believed she controlled her own fate. Not that she didn't, you know, control her fate, but she was really into control. Nothing that she couldn't control ever touched her life. Not until one night when a pair of vampires attacked her and her husband while they were out for a walk. She was touched by something she couldn't control and she just couldn't take it. The shock was too much."
As Xander spoke, a vortex swirled into existence, not far from where the old man sat, and Xander started to guide Mrs. Fitzgerald towards it. Joyce took Dawn's hand, and gently prodded her, indicating that they should follow. She did, wide eyed.
"There's no silver cord."
"That's because she's dead," Joyce said gently. "There's no more reason for her soul to be attached to her body."
Dawn hastily checked to see that hers was still safely there and attached. "How long are these things."
Joyce laughed a little. "Just as long as they need to be."
The vortex was a long grayish looking tunnel, but it seemed like it took no time before they reached the other end. When they did, they stepped into a long grayish cinder block room, with a long grayish table running down the middle. One one side, a grayish skinned demon sat, his corpulent body flopping down the sides of its chair. Xander guided Mrs. Fitzgerald to it.
Dawn looked around wide eyed. "Where are we?"
"Hell," Joyce answered simply. "Not the level where the really bad people go, but Hell. You see, she built these walls around and nothing could get in. Nothing that she couldn't control, just like what Xander said.
"Xander also said she went to Church. Every Sunday."
"Yes she did. She went through all the right motions, but she never believed, never trusted, or had any faith in, anyone or anything she could not control. Having faith does not mean giving up control, but it does mean choosing to allow another to influence your life, the way you live, and believing that that influence will not lead you astray. She was determined to never let that happen. There was always the possibility that a crack may open up, and perhaps..." Joyce sighed as she saw Mrs. Fitzgerald struggle a bit against Xander's guiding arm. "But she died before that could happen."
"She was scared to death." Dawn drew the connection. "Just like Anya could have been, and it would've been my fault."
"Oh Anya was probably safe enough," Joyce assured her daughter. "She's had thousands of years to get used to such shocks, but if it was intense enough, yes she could be scared to death."
"Oh it's not like you would do it deliberately. But someday, if you're not careful, someone could see, and it could happen."
"But someone could see me anyway. No matter how careful I am. It could still happen."
"Yes, but that wouldn't be your fault. Just like it's not Buffy's fault Mrs. Fitzgerald died. Somethings just happen."
Joyce and Dawn watched as Mrs. Fitzgerald's back stiffened and she turned to face the demon. With an almost visible sigh, Xander withdrew his arm from around her shoulders, and he walked over to Joyce and Dawn and the vortex.
"Let's get outta here," he muttered stepping into the vortex.
"So Anya got scared." Dawn looked up sullenly. "You come to yell at me too?"
"Nope no yelling, but if I did I'd say something like pissing off an ex-vengeance demon, particularly one who's got contacts in the demon world, just isn't the most brilliant of ideas."
Dawn rolled her eyes. "That's not quite the way Mom or Buffy put it."
"They yelled at you huh?"
"In stereo. About how I shouldn't abuse my powers or have any fun with them."
"Well fun is sort of a subjective thing. You had fun but Anya didn't."
Dawn looked down. "I guess not."
"C'mon we got a pick up to make."
"I'm grounded until they need me to move people to this world."
"Well, your Mom is going to come with us, and Buffy won't know anything about it."
What if she returns before we get back."
"She'll see you sitting on the couch. You'll be astral projecting, just as Giles, Wes and Riley did the other day. Cordy'll be here to make sure nothing happens to your body."
"Won't Buffy suspect something when she finds the prom-queen sitting by my lifeless body?"
"Easy, Buffy won't see her. Just your sleeping body." Xander grinned. "Besides, we should be back before she returns."
"Okay," Dawn sighed. "What do I do?"
"Just lean back and close your eyes."
Dawn felt like she was floating and she was soon standing in her living room, looking at her own body. She also saw a silvery line stretching from her to her body.
"That's what keeps you attached to your body," Xander explained. "Death is what happens when that cord gets cut."
"Are we ready," a new voice said.
"Mom," squeaked Dawn. "I did tell you how sorry I was didn't I?"
"You did," Joyce said sternly. "I just think you need to see what could possibly happen if Anya had been scared enough."
"But she di....." Dawn stopped arguing and looked around amazed. They were no longer in her living room, but instead in a corridor in the hospital. "How...how???"
"Kind of fast isn't it." Xander looked around and turned to Joyce and Dawn. "Nobody can see or hear us," he said for Dawn's benefit. "We just have to wait a bit."
The wait wasn't very long as Xander stood as the EMT crew left the room. He entered to see an elderly lady lying in the bed, with an equally elderly man sitting , head bowed, in the chair beside the bed. Xander approached the bed, the unseen glow filling the room.
"You remember Buffy was out on patrol last night? Well she saved this couple from a vampire attack." Xander moved towards the bed, and the woman began to sit up, just like she had thousands of time when she woke up in the morning and sat up in bed. Except this time her body stayed, lying in the bed. Sharp apprehension filled eyes found Xander and fixed on his face. She didn't notice either Joyce or Dawn.
"Her name is Ruth Fitzgerald. She fainted while Buffy was fighting off the vampires, and never recovered. The shock was too much." Xander held out an arm which Mrs. Fitzgerald took, and used to help her get out of the bed. "She lived a hard life, and was a humourless woman." Xander shook his head. "She went to Church every Sunday because that was what she always did, but she didn't really believe. Life was what you make of it, and she believed she controlled her own fate. Not that she didn't, you know, control her fate, but she was really into control. Nothing that she couldn't control ever touched her life. Not until one night when a pair of vampires attacked her and her husband while they were out for a walk. She was touched by something she couldn't control and she just couldn't take it. The shock was too much."
As Xander spoke, a vortex swirled into existence, not far from where the old man sat, and Xander started to guide Mrs. Fitzgerald towards it. Joyce took Dawn's hand, and gently prodded her, indicating that they should follow. She did, wide eyed.
"There's no silver cord."
"That's because she's dead," Joyce said gently. "There's no more reason for her soul to be attached to her body."
Dawn hastily checked to see that hers was still safely there and attached. "How long are these things."
Joyce laughed a little. "Just as long as they need to be."
The vortex was a long grayish looking tunnel, but it seemed like it took no time before they reached the other end. When they did, they stepped into a long grayish cinder block room, with a long grayish table running down the middle. One one side, a grayish skinned demon sat, his corpulent body flopping down the sides of its chair. Xander guided Mrs. Fitzgerald to it.
Dawn looked around wide eyed. "Where are we?"
"Hell," Joyce answered simply. "Not the level where the really bad people go, but Hell. You see, she built these walls around and nothing could get in. Nothing that she couldn't control, just like what Xander said.
"Xander also said she went to Church. Every Sunday."
"Yes she did. She went through all the right motions, but she never believed, never trusted, or had any faith in, anyone or anything she could not control. Having faith does not mean giving up control, but it does mean choosing to allow another to influence your life, the way you live, and believing that that influence will not lead you astray. She was determined to never let that happen. There was always the possibility that a crack may open up, and perhaps..." Joyce sighed as she saw Mrs. Fitzgerald struggle a bit against Xander's guiding arm. "But she died before that could happen."
"She was scared to death." Dawn drew the connection. "Just like Anya could have been, and it would've been my fault."
"Oh Anya was probably safe enough," Joyce assured her daughter. "She's had thousands of years to get used to such shocks, but if it was intense enough, yes she could be scared to death."
"Oh it's not like you would do it deliberately. But someday, if you're not careful, someone could see, and it could happen."
"But someone could see me anyway. No matter how careful I am. It could still happen."
"Yes, but that wouldn't be your fault. Just like it's not Buffy's fault Mrs. Fitzgerald died. Somethings just happen."
Joyce and Dawn watched as Mrs. Fitzgerald's back stiffened and she turned to face the demon. With an almost visible sigh, Xander withdrew his arm from around her shoulders, and he walked over to Joyce and Dawn and the vortex.
"Let's get outta here," he muttered stepping into the vortex.