~A Week Later~
“What color do you think she’d like?” Giles asked as they walked into the funeral parlor.
“Does it matter? It’s not like she’s going to be around to see it.” Dawn grumbled.
“Dawn.” Giles scolded.
“No, she’s right.” Angel agreed. “I don’t want to be here, Giles. None of us should, but we are.”
“That we are, sweetie.” Buffy nodded from her place in a corner of the room. “I’m here, even when you can’t see me.”
“She’d hate black.” Dawn spoke, moving through Buffy to look at the caskets on display. “Buffy lived in the dark enough, she doesn’t need it consuming her now.”
“Okay.” Angel nodded.
“No white. Something neutral?” Dawn suggested.
“I agree.” Angel nodded and then pointed to a casket. “How about this one, Dawn? It’s a solid maple oak.”
“I like it.” she smiled sadly. “I think Buffy would like it, too.”
“It’s too damn expensive.” Buffy cursed. “You could drop my body in a wood box, and it wouldn’t make a difference. I won’t be able to feel anything.”
Buffy felt Cordelia’s presence close by.
“Do you…You think they’ll be okay?” she asked out loud.
“Hmm? With what?” Cordelia asked her.
“With me gone. With Fred having memories of the only real love I ever knew. Do you think they’ll be okay with that?” Buffy asked, her tears about to show through.
“They’ll never be okay, not fully.” Cordelia told her. “Losing the one you love…It’s like no other pain in the world. You feel like your whole insides have been ripped out, you know?”
“I seem to vaguely remember.” Buffy sighed sarcastically. “I’m not sure that I did the right thing, Cordelia.”
“Buffy, what you did…It was selfless and heroic. There’s nothing wrong with that. If Angel isn’t able to accept that, maybe he never understood the meaning of love. You did something that most people wouldn’t do. That’s what sets you apart from the people around you. You did things for other people--for the world--that no one, not even the greatest ‘warrior’ could do. You died to save millions.” Cordelia reminded her.
“So did you.” she smiled at her friend.
“I guess I did, didn’t I?” Cordelia grinned. “You ready to go home?”
“Yeah, I just want to say goodbye to him first.” Buffy commented.
“Buffy, you know you can’t--” Cordelia started to say.
“I know, Cordy.” Buffy nodded. “I just want to say goodbye to him, one last time. I owe him that much, and if God himself wants to ship me off to Hell himself, then I’ll let him. I need to say goodbye to him, and he needs some final closure.”
“All right.” Cordelia nodded. “I’ll give you until the night after the funeral. Three days time. Don’t blow it.”
Cordelia moved to leave.
“Thank you, Cordelia.” Buffy whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek. “Thank you.”
~Two Days Later~
Fred noticed Buffy during the funeral. She was sitting next to Angel, her arm laying on his shoulder. What the Hell was she doing here?
Buffy watched as her casket was lowered into the ground. She felt her love’s sadness. His emotion was radiating off himself, and she felt it firsthand.
“At least you chose the right type of casket, honey.” she joked to herself.
Fred stared at the ghost of the former Slayer in awe. She wasn’t alone; there was Cordelia, and an attractive but kind of short, brunette haired man standing next to her as well.
*What are they doing here?* Fred thought to herself. *Why am I all of a sudden able to see dead people?*
Buffy couldn’t take it anymore. Being at her own funeral was just too surreal.
“I’m leaving, Cordy.” Buffy whispered. “I’m going to wait for him back at the hotel. You sure this will work?”
“Yes.” Cordelia nodded. “How do you know he’ll be back at the Hotel?”
“I know.” Buffy stated. “I hope this works.”
“It will.” Cordelia promised her. *It better or else we’re all fucked with the Powers That Be.*