Cut to the kitchen. BuffyBot is making peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches. Tara is in the background by the stove. Willow enters.

WILLOW: Morning.
BUFFYBOT: (cheery) Morning!
WILLOW: I was thinking we could go over your programming again.
TARA: Again? You've done enough, sweetie. She's either ready to face this thing or she's not.

Dawn enters, sits at the counter with a small smile.

TARA: Oh, um, here's some juice, and... (gives Dawn a glass of orange juice) pancakes are on the way. Funny shapes or rounds?
DAWN: Rounds are fine. Uh, what's up with the mega-witches?
TARA: Oh, I don't know if you can call us mega, Willow maybe-
DAWN: No, I mean ... who's gonna eat all that?

We see that BuffyBot has made a huge pile of sandwiches. Actually, several huge piles. Tara grabs the bot's hands.

TARA: Oh! Oops, um ... she wanted to help, and I got her started, but then I forgot to un-start.

The bot nods understanding.

Xander enters.

XANDER: House of chicks, relax. I am a man, and I have a tool.

They all look at him. He holds up his toolbox.

XANDER: Tools. Lots of plural tools. (Dawn grins) In my, uh ... (pats toolbox) toolbox. (sees the sandwiches) Ah! Sandwiches. Excellent. Men like sandwiches.

BuffyBot smiles and gives him a stack of sandwiches.

WILLOW: Help yourself. Really. (Xander eating a sandwich) So what brings you so early, your macho-ness?
XANDER: I brought that soldering wire you wanted for BuffyBot's tune-up.
TARA: (serving pancakes to Dawn) You got funny shapes anyway, sorry.

Date:	2008-06-09 17:45
Subject:	Dear diary: decapod crustaceans
Security:	Public
Mood:	contemplative

Oh dear little pink infraorder Caridea. Why must you haunt me so? You swim, swim, swim without a care in the world until you're scooped up and taken away to the many places they take you! Where do you go before becoming available in large cooperate owned machines I shall never know! All I know is you taunt me, tease me practically seduce me with your very presence. How dare you look at me as I pass by you with those beady little eyes. You know that I want you, but I can't have you. I swear you know it! I can hear you calling me to eat you! But I can't and we both know that! Stop trying to tempt me! I all ready have one vixen in my life I don't need more! How dare you, you evil Shrimp you. And all because I'm allergic. But you taste so good. I think I'd give up being a vegetarian if I could actually eat you and not need to have Willow call an ambulance. The last thing I need is swirly red light and lots of loud obnoxious noises calling attention to a home full of run aways, misfits, long forgotten and lost kids.

I almost feel like a mother hen here. There's so many girls so much younger then me. I mean, I always feel like a mother to Dawnie but all these girls. Their actions just scream that they need someone to go to, someone to talk to, someone to listen to them and show them the attention, respect and motherly affection they're longing for. Their auras all show how much pain they're in too, it's such a sad place. I feel for them, I really do. I remember what it was like loosing my mother and then my family. I don't know what I would have done without Willow and everyone else. I think I'm going to try to do what-ever little things I can to make them all happy. Maybe it'll be funny shaped pancakes for everyone tomorrow with hot coco. Everyone loves pancakes and hot cocoa, right? I think they do, and if they don't, they should. Though I'd just make someone something else if they didn't I guess.

Love, mortars and pestles,
Tara

( More good ones under the cut! )