[Transcript of "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" episode The Body at buffyology.com.]
BUFFY walks in, calling out cheerfully.
Hey, Mom.
She turns to find a vase of flowers on the table beside the door.
Oh!
She opens the card which reads:
Thank you for a lovely evening. See you soon? Brian.Still a couple of guys gettin' it right.
She puts down her jacket and turns to call up the stairs.
Hey! Flower-gettin' lady. Want me to pick Dawn up from school?
Buffy frowns and looks down the hall toward the kitchen.
Mom?
She turns and looks in the living room where her mother lies on the couch.
What are you doing?
She walks into the living room, then stops cold.
JOYCE lies on her back on the sofa. One arm hangs loosely over the edge of the sofa. Her eyes are open, staring sightlessly at the ceiling. Dead eyes.
Buffy's voice trembles, the voice of a little girl lost.
Mom? Mom... Mommy?
Opening credit sequence.
The gang is gathered for Christmas dinner; colored lights adorn the room and votive candles cast a warm glow on the gathering. Buffy, ANYA, and XANDER sit on one side of the table; DAWN, WILLOW, and TARA on the other. GILES sits at the head of the table, Joyce at the other end. Buffy and Joyce stand up and start clearing away the empty plates.
I think we're just about ready for pie.
Then I'll be pretty much ready for barf.
Xander!
No, no. (to Joyce) Barf from the eating... 'cause all was good and too much goodness--
I'm taking it as a compliment.
Yes, everything was delicious.
Yes, I'm going to barf, too!
Joyce smiles wryly as she carries a pile of dirty dishes into the kitchen.
Everyone's so sweet.
How you doing there, Will? Are you in the vomit club, too?
I had too much nog.
Oh, baby... want me to rub your tummy? (to the others) She likes it when I... (beat; embarrassed) stop explaining things.
My nog tastes funny. I think I got one with rum in it.
That's bad.
Yeah, now Santa's going to pass you right by, naughty booze- hound.
Tara and Dawn giggle.
Santa always passes me by. Something puts him off. Could be the big honkin' menorah.
Oh, did you write him a letter?
What'd you ask for?
Guys, hello... puberty? Sorta figured out the whole "no Santa" thing.
That's a myth.
Yeah.
No, I mean, it's a myth that it's a myth. There is a Santa Claus.
The advantage of having a thousand-year-old girlfriend. Inside scoop.
There's a Santa Claus?
Been around since like the 1500s. He wasn't always called Santa but, you know, Christmas night, flying reindeer, coming down the chimney-- all true.
All true?
Well, he doesn't traditionally bring presents so much as, you know, disemboweled children but otherwise...
The reindeer part was nice.
Joyce takes a pumpkin pie out of the oven while Buffy brings in more dishes for Giles to clean. There's a black char mark on the top of the pie.
Damn it! I hate this oven. It burned.
Oh, no. It's just blackened, you know. It's Cajun pie.
Giles turns around, holding a bottle of wine.
Shall I open another?
Oh, do you think we dare?
As long as you two stay away from the band candy, I'm cool with anything.
Joyce and Giles look awkwardly around the room, anywhere but at Buffy. Giles clears his throat, takes the bottle and heads into the dining room.
You are a demon child.
I live to torment you. Is that so wrong?
A daughter's duty, I suppose.
She kisses Buffy on the forehead.
Look, all we have to do is just cut off a little bit of the burnt...
As Buffy cuts the pie, it falls off the island and onto the floor.
Joyce stares up from the sofa, her eyes open but seeing nothing. Buffy rushes over and shakes her mother by the shoulders.
Mom! Mom! Mom-Mom-Mom-Mom-Mom-Mom!!!
No response. Buffy stands up sniffling, her breath coming in short gasps. She dashes out of the room and down the front hall.
She snatches the cordless phone from the hook and dials.
911 OPERATOR
Nine-one-one emergency.
Hello?
911 OPERATOR
Do you have--
My mom... she's not breathing.
911 OPERATOR
Is she conscious?
Buffy moves back toward her mother while she talks.
No. I can't-- she's not breathing.
911 OPERATOR
Okay, I need you to give me your address.
What?
911 OPERATOR
I'm going to send an ambulance over.
We're at 1630 Revello. It's a house. Revello near Hadley.
911 OPERATOR
I'm sending a unit right away. Are you alone in the house?
Yes.
911 OPERATOR
Well, did you see what happened? Did she fall?
No, I came home and she-- what should I do?
911 OPERATOR
Do you know how to administer CPR?
No, I don't remember.
911 OPERATOR
Okay, it's very simple. You want to tilt your mother's head back. Cover her mouth with yours and breathe into her mouth.
The operator continues talking but Buffy drops the phone and kneels next to Joyce.
I know this. I know this. God...
She takes hold of Joyce's legs and moves them so that she lies flat on her back.
I can do this. Okay... okay...
Buffy tilts Joyce's head back, opens her mouth, pinches her nose shut and breathes into her mouth twice. Then she begins chest compressions.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
Two more breaths and then back to chest compressions.
One, two, three-- (cracking noise) Oh! Oh, god...
She reaches for the phone.
I-- are you there?-- I broke something.
911 OPERATOR
Hello?
It cracked.
911 OPERATOR
Is she breathing?
No.
911 OPERATOR
Paramedics should be there in a moment. You might have cracked a rib. It's not important.
Buffy touches Joyce's face.
She's cold.
Long beat from the operator.
911 OPERATOR
The body's cold?
No, my mom! Should I make her warm?
911 OPERATOR
No... if she's not responding to CPR, the best thing is to wait for the paramedics, okay?
When will they be here?
911 OPERATOR
They're very nearby.
Buffy drops the phone and looks out the window anxiously. Bright sunshine streams into the room. Buffy brings the phone back up to her ear. Her voice is calm, quiet, almost distant.
I have to make a call.
She disconnects and hits the speed-dial. It rings and a click as the line is picked up on the other end.
Hello?
Giles. You have to come.
Buffy?
She's at the house.
Buffy hangs up the phone and walks to the front door. She opens it and looks out as an ambulance screeches to a stop, siren blaring.
She walks back into the living room and stares down at her mother. Hold on this grim tableau for a long beat as we hear the paramedics outside, shutting doors, gathering up their equipment, etc.
Buffy realizes with alarm that her mother's skirt has bunched up and her slip is showing. She hastily pulls Joyce's skirt down and straightens it out.
Two male PARAMEDICS rush inside, lugging their equipment with them.
She's in here.
Buffy watches anxiously as the first one lays his finger alongside Joyce's neck.
I'm getting no pulse.
Let's lay her out.
They lift Joyce onto the floor and Paramedic #1 examines her with a stethoscope and a flashlight, looking for vital signs.
How long's she been like this?
I found her... a few minutes.
Paramedic #1 checks Joyce's eyes as Paramedic #2 attaches a portable EKG to Joyce's chest.
Was she conscious?
No.
I'm bagging her.
What?
We're going to intubate. Just trying to get her to breathe, all right?
Buffy nods.
This your mother?
Yes.
She have any serious physical health problems, any history of heart disease?
No.
CU on the EKG display: flat line. The terrible steady sound of the machine's heart monitor fills the room.
I mean, there was a tumor-- a brain tumor-- but she had an operation and she's fine now. She's been fine.
Paramedic #1 holds an oxygen mask in place while Paramedic #2 continues chest compressions. He checks Joyce's wrist for a pulse, then resumes chest compressions.
Suddenly Joyce begins to cough and gasp. Paramedic #1 removes 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 stand up as Buffy rushes forward. Joyce opens her eyes and looks up at her.
Never brought one back this stiff.
Buffy...
I'm here.
The ambulance speeds down the street, lights flashing, siren wailing.
Buffy and the paramedics are in the ambulance with Joyce.
It's a miracle. That's what it is-- a beautiful miracle!
Joyce sits up in her hospital bed, smiling, Dawn and Buffy on either side. They look to DR. KRIEGEL as he reads from his chart.
Good as new.
Buffy, thank god you found me in ti--
FAST ZOOM on Buffy as Joyce speaks and
Back to scene: the living room. We realize Joyce's recovery was all in Buffy's imagination. She is still watching helplessly as the paramedics work. Silence fills the room save for the efficient sounds of the medical professionals at work.
CU on the EKG: still flatline.
Paramedic #2 stops CPR and turns to Paramedic #1.
She's cold, man.
Buffy stares, wide-eyed.
Call it.
Paramedic #1 grimly begins to pack up his equipment. Buffy's lower lip begins to tremble.
Paramedic #2 stands up and approaches Buffy.
BUFFY'S POV: Paramedic #2 approaches through a blurred haze.
I'm sorry.
What do we do now?
I'm sorry, but I have to tell you that... your mother's dead.
Buffy stares up at him, tears pooling in her emerald eyes.
It looks like she did die a good while before you found her. There's nothing you could have done.
W-what...
BUFFY'S POV: skewed angle; Paramedic #2 shot from mid-face to mid-chest; his eyes and the top of his head are o.s.
I'm guessing it must have been an aneurysm or some clotting... some complication from surgery. She probably felt very little pain. I'm going to call it in. The Coroner's Office will come by and take her in and they'll determine the cause of death conclusively.
Buffy stares at him, his words washing over her without really registering. A call comes over the paramedic's handheld radio.
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. (to Buffy) I'm going to call this right away.
CU: Buffy's stunned expression.
Now the Coroner's Office may take a while. In the meantime, I think you should sit. Have a glass of water... and try not to disturb the body. (beat) Do you need anything? Is there someone you can call?
Someone's coming.
Paramedic #1 walks to the front door, lugging his equipment.
Let's go.
Paramedic #2 picks up his things, then turns back to Buffy.
I'm very sorry for your loss.
Thank you.
He walks out, leaving the front door open. Buffy walks to the door, still holding the phone, and looks out. She hesitates, then calls out as the ambulance backs out of the driveway, siren wailing.
Good luck!
Buffy turns and walks back inside in a daze, still holding the phone. She looks down at Joyce lying motionless on the floor for a moment, then turns toward the kitchen, putting down the phone on a nearby table.
She suddenly drops to her knees and vomits on the floor. The sound of wind chimes lilt incongruously over her retching.
She stands up slowly, puts a hand on her stomach, and continues on into the kitchen.
Buffy walks to the back door, opens it and looks out. She stands there, silently. Birds sing, the sounds of children playing in the distance, a car passes by on the next street.
CU: Buffy's face, sweaty and pale. After a moment, she turns back inside, leaning on the door for support. She goes over to the sink and tears a bunch of paper towels off the roll. Leaving the back door open, she goes back into the hallway and drops the towels over the spot on the carpet where she vomited.
CU: the towels as moisture begins to seep through, forming an intricate, almost Rorschach-like pattern.
Suddenly, Giles' panicked voice comes from the front of the house.
Buffy!
Buffy turns to find Giles standing in the front door, out of breath.
What is it? Is it Glory?
I'm waiting. The coroner's coming.
What?
I have to tell Dawn. She's at school. I'll go there.
I'm not sure...
Giles looks to his left and sees Joyce for the first time.
Oh, god.
He rushes toward Joyce, out of frame. Buffy remains eerily calm.
No. No. Don't. No, it's too late.
Buffy suddenly rushes after Giles into the living room.
Joyce?
They're coming for her. No, no, we're--
Buffy rounds the corner and finds Giles bending over Joyce, shaking her.
Joyce!
We're not supposed to move the body!
Giles looks up at Buffy, stricken. Buffy looks aghast, realizing what she's just said. She puts her hand over her mouth and shakes her head in denial.
Giles quickly goes over to Buffy and wraps his arms around her. Buffy stares in shock over Giles' shoulder at her mother's body on the floor.
CU: Joyce, her sightless eyes staring at the ceiling.
Resume. Overhead shot as Joyce is zipped into a body bag.
The black rubber envelopes her, covering her face.
Dawn leans against the tiled wall, tears streaming down her face. Her friend LISA stands nearby, sympathetic.
Oh, god. I can't believe it.
It's not that bad.
How can you say it's not that bad?
I just don't think it's that big a deal.
Kevin Berman called me a freak in front of everybody. (sarcastic) No, that's no big deal.
He didn't say you were a freak.
Forget it.
He just said you were... freaky. Which, you know, freaky can be... sort of cool.
Oh, yeah. Real cool. (sobbing) I'm a "suicidal head-case".
You know it was Kirstie. She was telling people how you were into cutting yourself and how you--
That's such a lie! I got cut. By accident. One time.
Dawn grabs some paper towels and starts wiping the tears from her face.
Now Kevin thinks I'm a--
Well, that was when you were wigging out about your family... and of course Kirstie's gotta turn everything into a story. She was telling people that you were adopted.
What a primo be-yatch. I swear, if I could make her head explode using only the power of my mind? That's what I'd be doing right about now.
Lisa nods sagely as Dawn finishes wiping her eyes and sighs.
Great. Now I look like a wet rat.
Yeah, you know you can't go out there looking all cry-faced. That'll just give Kirstie more ammo.
The bell rings outside.
You know, my big sister could really beat the crap out of her. I mean, really really. Okay. What do you think? Can I show my face?
You're good to go. We're going to be late anyway.
Taking a deep breath, Dawn heads out into the hall.
Lisa nudges Dawn as they approach a group of girls. One of them, KIRSTIE, is a beautiful blonde girl. She's obviously the center of the junior high universe, a nascent Cordelia in the making.
Kirstie alert.
The girls smirk as Dawn and Lisa pass by. Kirstie smiles sweetly at Dawn.
Hey, Dawn!
Hey.
How you doing, you okay?
Good. Thanks for asking. (sotto) Be-yatch.
The late bell rings as Dawn and Lisa arrive at class. Easels are set up in rows. The classroom is surrounded on all sides by windows that look out onto the hallways. Dawn eyes the object of her affection and distress who sits at the back of the classroom: KEVIN BERMAN.
Dawn and Lisa move to the back of the class and take easels on either side of Kevin. As the TEACHER begins class, Dawn steals a nervous glance in Kevin's direction.
Okay. Remember, we're not drawing the object. We're drawing the negative space around the object.
The teacher indicates the model the class will be using: a 2-foot high statue of a nude female figure.
The students begin to draw as the teacher continues her lecture.
Hey.
Dawn tries to be cool.
Oh. Hey, Kevin.
...and then give me a sense of the spaces around, the space in between.
What's goin' on?
Negative space.
Yeah, what's that all about?
Yeah.
Kevin looks over at her sketch.
That's pretty good.
Thanks.
Behind Kevin, Lisa holds up her pad of paper:
HE WANTS YOU!
Dawn shoots her a scolding look, then turns back to her drawing.
So I heard you like had a freak-out and cut yourself.
No, not even. It was a whole... it was so not...
I've felt like that before. (off her surprised look) Things get so crazed, you know. You just feel like you want to do something... extreme.
Yeah. I just... I had a lot of intense stuff going on. A lot of people don't understand that. Pain.
Yeah.
Then Kirstie's gotta blab it everywhere, 'cause she's--
Kirstie, man. It's like she thinks, "I'm so hot. Everybody should just bow down before me." And I'm like whatever.
Dawn smiles and laughs. Behind her, Buffy appears in the hallway, looking in sadly at Dawn.
She's so superficial. Everything's always about clothes or who likes who and there's just way more important stuff going on. There's a lot of crucial, you know... stuff.
Yeah.
Buffy enters the classroom and talks quietly with the teacher, then walks down the aisle toward Dawn.
This one time in history, she had this book called Annals of History and she didn't know how to say the word "annals" so she kept saying--
Dawn.
Dawn turns, still smiling. Buffy looks at her, the pain evident in her eyes.
Dawn stops smiling.
I have to talk to you.
Dawn stands up apprehensively.
The teacher watches, concerned.
Um...
What?
CU: Lisa, confused about Buffy's sudden appearance at school.
CU: the nude statue.
Can it wait? I'm in the middle of a class.
I know. Please come with me.
Kevin and Lisa look at Dawn; they know something bad has happened.
Dawn puts down her charcoal and walks with Buffy toward the door.
I thought Mom was picking me up.
Buffy closes the classroom door behind her as they move into the hall.
What's going on? Something's going on.
Let's go outside.
No. Tell me what's going on.
Kirstie and her friends watch from further down the hallway.
It's... bad news.
Dawn crosses her arms anxiously.
Well, what is it? What happened?
Lisa and Kevin watch through the classroom windows.
It's bad. Please, can we--
Where's Mom?
Tears well up in Buffy's eyes.
Mom... had an accident. Or, um... something went wrong from the tumor.
Now Dawn has tears in her eyes.
Is she okay? Is she... but she's okay? But... it's serious but...
Dawn...
Buffy and Dawn from inside the classroom. We can see them but can't hear them. Dawn's mouth opens in a silent wail of grief as Buffy breaks the news. She clamps her hand over her mouth and shakes her head, rejecting even the idea that her mother is gone forever.
Dawn's words come through her strangled sobs.
No...
She shakes her head and backs away from Buffy.
No, it's not true. No, you're a liar! She's fine!
Dawn suddenly collapses to the floor and curls into a fetal position, her small body wracked with grief.
Kevin watches for a moment, then looks away out of respect.
The teacher and the other students move toward the glass and watch as Buffy kneels, doing what she can to comfort her little sister.
CU: the easel and Dawn's half-finished sketch: a woman in silent repose.
Joyce lies on a metal table. Hands wrapped in surgical gloves enter frame and unbutton her blouse, then cut away her camisole with a pair of scissors. Joyce stares silently upward, unheeding.
Tara stares out the window at the sun-drenched campus commons.
Willow stares morosely into her closet. She holds a blouse in her hands, staring at it without really seeing it.
Xander drives. Anya watches the city roll by from the passenger seat.
The car pulls up in front of the dorm. All the spaces are taken but Xander stops anyway.
Tara turns from the window.
I think they're here.
Willow is still frozen, holding the blouse. She suddenly reacts, coming out of her daze, looks down at the shirt and tosses it onto a large pile of clothes on her bed.
Xander looks over at Anya.
Do you want to come up?
You're double-parked.
Let 'em give me a ticket.
She nods and they both get out.
Willow takes two more shirts out of her closet and turns to Tara.
What do you think? The purple, right? 'Cause it's somber? (beat) No. No, it's too depressing. It's like a... funeral. God, I... (holds a yellow shirt) Well, this is cheerier. Maybe I want to be cheery, like everything is normal?
Tara just watches her, not knowing what to say.
No, that's rude. That's disrespectful. "La la la! I don't care!"
She tosses both blouses on the bed with a sigh.
If I had that blue one... Joyce really liked the blue one. She told me one time. You sure it's not in your room?
I could look again.
No, no, I should wear the purple. The purple. I think the purple. It's just that it's so-- I don't know-- it doesn't mean something bad?
I think it's... royal. Purple means royalty.
Tears stream freely down Willow's face now.
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 begins openly crying as Tara looks at her, helpless to do anything. Willow picks up a t-shirt with a small rabbit on the front.
God, why do all my shirts have such stupid things on them? Why can't I just dress like a grownup? Can't I be a grownup?
Shhh.
Tara moves over to Willow and rubs her shoulders and neck, trying to calm her.
Shhh, darling.
I can't do this!
Tara kisses Willow on the forehead, then cups Willow's face in her hands and kisses her on the lips, whispering to her and calming her.
Willow responds, returning her kiss with a look of loving gratitude. Tara leans her forehead against Willow's and looks into her lover's eyes.
We can do this.
Willow smiles wanly and nods.
Okay. We can be there for Buffy. And Dawn. (sobs) Little Dawn.
We can be strong.
Strong like an Amazon?
Strong like an Amazon, right.
Okay. I wish I had the blue.
Anya and Xander climb the stairs and head for Willow's room.
So... what do we do?
I'm not sure. We'll talk to Giles.
Xander, what will we do? What will we be expected to do?
Xander has no answer. He knocks on Willow's door, then pushes it open and enters.
Tara leans against the far wall. Willow wears a green shirt with a red cardigan over it.
Hey.
Xander and Willow cling to each other desperately, then pull apart.
How're you doing?
Willow shrugs and shakes her head.
I know the feeling.
I'm afraid I'm going to start to cry again.
Xander cried at the apartment. It was weird.
It's a thing we do.
Long beat. No one moves. No one speaks.
What's going to happen?
Well, I... I guess we're going to meet them at the morgue. That's where they were... taking her.
Giles said that he was going to go with Joyce and Buffy was going to go to the school to... tell Dawn.
Xander closes his eyes.
God...
Do you know how to get--
Yeah. It's at the hospital, it's a wing. We do morgue-time in the Scooby gang.
Willow looks anxiously at Tara.
I have to change.
She removes her cardigan, tosses it aside and goes off to get another shirt.
What else did Giles say?
Not a lot.
Are they sure this was natural? I mean... Glory.
Giles was pretty sure that it wasn't her.
But I mean, she said she was going to come after Buffy's family.
I don't--
I mean, we should be going after her. I mean, she could've done it and covered her tracks.
Willow reappears wearing a pink turtleneck.
Why would she? She'd want us to know.
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!
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?
Xander, I don't think it was... any... it just happened.
Things don't happen! I mean... they don't just happen. Somebody... I mean, somebody's got...
Willow puts up her fists and adopts a fighting stance.
Okay. Let's go. Come on, you and me. Come on.
Xander stares at her, then sighs. He walks over to her and kisses her on the forehead.
You know I can't take you.
Damn straight.
Are we going to see the body?
What?
Annoyed, Xander turns away.
Are we going to be in the room with the dead body?
I don't know. No.
But I guess we should take over patrolling and all that.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
For however long.
You know it.
I can't wear this.
She turns to change again, then turns back.
I really should have the other. Joyce liked it so.
Do you think you could've left it in the laundry room?
Maybe.
I'll go check. I'll just be one minute.
We're cool.
Tara walks out of the room. Anya moves about anxiously.
Are they going to cut the body open?
Oh, my god! Would you just stop talking? Just shut your mouth. Please.
What am I doing?
How can you act like that?
Anya looks from Willow to Xander.
Am I supposed to be changing my clothes a lot? Is that the helpful thing to do?
Guys...
The way you behave--
Nobody will tell me.
Because it's not okay for you to be asking these things!
But I don't understand!
Willow and Xander are taken aback by Anya's outburst. Anya looks up at them, trying to hold back her tears, her words coming in a breathless desperate stream.
I don't understand how this all happens-- how we go through this. I mean, I knew her and then she's... 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. And Xander's crying and not talking 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!
Anya finally gives in and breaks down in wracking sobs. Xander tries to comfort her but she pushes him away and sits down in a chair, her head in her hands. Willow regards her with newfound compassion.
We don't know how it works... or why.
Willow sits on the bed.
Xander paces in front of the open door. In the hallway behind him, various students pass by, going about their normal day.
Anya shifts uncomfortably in the chair. Something is poking her in the back. She reaches behind herself and pulls out a stuffed animal with the blue sweater Willow has been desperately searching for wrapped around it. Anya pulls the sweater off the bear and stuffs it into an open drawer next to her.
Willow stares silently at the floor.
A loud bang shatters the silence. Willow and Anya look up at Xander, startled.
Xander stands in the doorway with his hand embedded in the wall.
Sorry, sorry. Some pent-up...
Xander... where did your hand go?
As I was saying, some frustration and now... I appear to be stuck.
My god. Is your hand okay?
Pretty much. I'm really sorry.
You could have hit an electrical... thing!
And once again with the sorry.
Did it make you feel better?
For a second there.
A whole second?
In my defense, some crappy wallmanship.
Yeah, you can hear everything next door.
Willow and Anya pull at Xander's arm, trying to free it.
Who did the drywall in this place?
I always forget to ask.
Tara appears in the doorway.
Did I miss something?
Xander decided that he blames the wall.
Can you... turn your wrist?
Hold on.
He twists his arm and pulls it out of the wall. His knuckles are covered in blood and he flexes his fingers gingerly.
It's okay.
It hurts.
Xander looks over at Tara and she smiles sympathetically at him.
Here, wash it off.
Anya leads Xander over to the sink.
Band-Aids?
Underneath.
Anya wraps Xander's hand with a towel while she looks for the Band-Aids.
I couldn't find it.
It doesn't matter. We should get there.
Yes.
I want to be there for Buffy.
You're right. 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 puts the towel down and walks out with Willow and Tara. Anya lingers a moment before following. She calls after them.
How are we going to help?
Anya closes the door behind her. Long beat; hold on the empty room. After a moment, the door opens and Willow rushes in. She grabs her red cardigan and runs back out.
Pan across the empty dorm room over to the window. Outside on the street below, a police officer puts a parking ticket on Xander's car.
Joyce lies on the stainless-steel autopsy table, a sheet covering her up to her shoulders. Her eyes are open, staring sightlessly upward.
Reveal Dr. Kriegel as he wraps up the autopsy and pulls the sheet over Joyce's face. He turns off the overhead light, picks up his clipboard and leaves the morgue.
He walks down a dark hallway and emerges into the hospital proper. As he rounds the corner, we see Buffy and her family gathered in a waiting room at the far end.
Tara hugs Dawn as Xander embraces Buffy.
If there's anything we can do...
Glad you're here.
Willow looks into Buffy's eyes.
I love you so much.
I know.
They're not telling us anything.
Anya suddenly grabs onto Giles in a desperate embrace. He looks shocked, then wraps his arms around her and hugs her back. Over her shoulder, he notices the doctor approaching.
Doctor?
All heads turn. Buffy, Giles and Dawn step forward to meet him. The others stay behind, huddled together.
Okay, I've examined your mother's body.
Can we see her?
Dawn, not now.
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... where the tumor was removed.
Shouldn't we have known about that, that it was a danger?
Sometimes these things are detectable and sometimes they're not. 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.
Dawn stares at the floor.
She may have felt a little nausea and probably passed out as it happened.
CU: Buffy's face.
I doubt there was much pain and even if someone had been by her side...
Joyce in the living room, Buffy by her side. Buffy takes Joyce's hand in concern as Joyce sits down on the sofa.
My head...
Mom?
Buffy, Joyce and Paramedic #1 in the ambulance.
Dawn, Joyce, Buffy and the doctor in the hospital.
...it's doubtful that this could have been dealt with in time.
CU: Buffy's face.
The doctor looks sympathetically at Buffy, then over at Giles.
Thank you, Doctor.
Are you sure that there wasn't a lot of pain?
Absolutely.
The doctor's mouth continues to move but what we hear is Buffy's perception, not what he's actually saying.
I have to lie to make you feel better.
CU: Buffy's face.
What needs to be done now?
Well, there'll be some forms and some decisions you'll need to make.
Buffy, why don't you let me handle those as much as I can?
Please.
We will need you to sign a couple of release forms.
Yes, thank you, Doctor. (to Buffy) I'll figure out which ones you need to see.
We'll be here.
Giles goes off with the doctor as the others approach.
What'd the doctor say?
Nothing. It's, you know, it's what we thought-- the tumor.
Why don't we sit down?
Willow takes both Buffy and Dawn by the hand and leads them over to a sofa. She and Buffy sit. Tara sits down next Buffy also.
Giles says he's going to go over the paperwork.
Man, if there's one day they should not give you homework.
Dawnie, do you want to sit?
Dawn shakes her head.
I don't think we're going to have to be here very long.
What about...
What about what?
Nothing. I have to pee.
Do you want someone to go with you?
No. I still remember how to pee.
Do you know where it is?
Yeah.
She walks off sullenly.
I think maybe she's... mad at me or something.
'Cause you were the one that told her?
How'd she take it?
Meltdown. She just wouldn't believe me. I still don't think she does.
I wish that Joyce didn't die.
Everyone looks over at her.
Because she was nice. And now we all hurt.
Anya, ever the wordsmith.
Buffy gives Anya a heartfelt smile.
Thank you.
Do you want anything? Something to eat or a soda?
Honestly, I couldn't tell.
Well, I think you should try to eat something.
Yeah, maybe Dawn could use a snack.
I'll find something. Xander, do you have any money?
We'll come with.
We'll be right quick.
Willow, Xander and Anya head off.
Buffy and Tara sit on the sofa next to each other. They look at each other, then away.
I'm sorry you have to go through all of this.
You don't have to worry about me.
Everybody wants to help. I don't even know if I'm... here. I don't know what's going on. Never done this. (beat) That's just an amazingly dumb thing to say. Obviously I've never done this before.
Long beat.
I have.
Buffy slowly raises her head and looks over at Tara.
My mother died when I was seventeen.
I didn't know. I'm sorry.
No, no, I didn't mean to... (sighs) I'm only telling you this because... I know it's not my place but 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 horrible person. I know it's different for you... because it's always different but if you ever need...
She trails off. They share a long look of mutual sympathy, then both look down at the floor.
Was it sudden?
What?
Your mother.
No. (considers) Yes. It's always sudden.
Dawn comes out of the bathroom. She looks around the corner into the waiting room, sees Buffy and Tara talking, then looks over at the door that leads to the morgue.
Dawn slips over to the door and enters. It's fairly dark. She looks behind her, then begins to walk slowly down the hallway. Utter silence.
Dawn's face appears at the window in the morgue door.
DAWN'S POV: several bodies covered with sheets lie silently on metal tables.
Dawn opens the door, goes inside, then turns and bolts the door shut. She walks slowly past the row of bodies toward the one at the end. Silence. Even her footsteps are muted.
Dawn stands beside the last table and stares at the covered shape. She closes her eyes for a moment, then opens them. Her hand moves toward the sheet.
CU: Dawn's face.
CU: the covered body on the table.
Dawn pulls her hand back before it touches the sheet. She takes a step back and swallows with difficulty.
In the background, one of the other corpses suddenly sits up and removes the sheet from its head. The newly-risen male vampire looks around, sees Dawn and smiles. It swings its legs over the side of the table and silently approaches Dawn from behind.
Dawn turns and sees the creature and draws in breath to scream.
Buffy and Tara are still sitting on the sofa. Xander, Willow and Anya return, their arms full of soda cans, junk food and coffee cups.
We panicked.
Buffy looks at the wealth of snack items before her and nods.
Uh-huh.
Have anything you want.
The sandwiches are meat.
I'm just not hungry.
What about Dawnie?
Is she still in the bathroom?
I guess. (stands up) You guys wait here.
Buffy walks over to the hallway, looks at the door marked "Women", then looks across to the morgue entrance. She goes to the second door and opens it.
Buffy walks down the dark hallway, slowly at first, then faster. A muffled crash and scream comes from somewhere distant.
Buffy arrives at the morgue door, looks through the window and sees Dawn struggling with the vampire. Dawn shrieks and struggles as the creature's fangs descend toward her neck.
Buffy tries the door but it's locked. She slams her arm into it and the lock snaps, the door flies off its hinges.
Buffy races up behind the vampire and seizes him around the neck. The creature loses its grip on Dawn, who lurches forward, banging her head on the edge of the metal table holding her mother's body. As she falls to the floor, her hand snags the sheet. It slides partially off of Joyce, exposing her head and shoulders.
Buffy fights the vampire. She's holding her own but is clearly not fighting up to her level of skill. As a veteran Slayer, she should make quick work of a newly- risen vampire like this but it nearly gets the better of her several times. They struggle, knocking over a tray full of surgical instruments before falling to the floor, Buffy on top of the snarling creature. Lacking anything wooden in the sterile room, Buffy reaches for a metal bone saw. She puts the blade against the vampire's throat and pushes down, severing the demon's head from it's body. She collapses to the tiled floor as the creature disintegrates beneath her.
Recovering from her blow to the head, Dawn sits up and raises her head to the table above her.
DAWN'S POV: the top of Joyce's head is visible, her hair curling over the edge.
Buffy lies on her back for a moment, staring at the ceiling, the dawning realization that no matter what happens to her or her family, it never stops, the fight goes on. She finally rolls over and looks over at her sister.
Dawn?
Pull back to reveal Dawn still crouching, staring up at the surgical table.
Dawn slowly pulls herself up to a kneeling position, her face level with Joyce's. A long beat as she looks into Joyce's open, staring eyes. Dawn never takes her eyes off her mother as she speaks.
Is she cold?
It's not her... it's not her. She's gone.
Where'd she go?
Dawn lifts her hand and reaches out, very slowly.
CU: Joyce's face as Dawn's hand moves slowly toward her cheek.
Her fingers are mere inches from her mother's face as we