I enjoyed all the domestic details in the backdrop of Buffy's quiet conversation with Giles. It felt as though she was coming home and the domesticity of the scene underscored that emotion. You're doing an excellent job writing "Spike the Seducer," it's no wonder Buffy can't resist him. The bite was erotic and Buffy's physical and emotional reaction to it were descriptive. Buffy groggily coming back to "...if someone were to come upon them in that state, they would die from the sheer beauty of them..." line at the end of the chapter made me grin.

That was very hot. Love the biting!

Oh so glad to see another chapter of this story. I am enjoying the twists and turns. My only complaint is that it was to short! :)

Absolutely loved the little interaction between Buffy and Giles at the start of this chapter. You really captured what their relationship was all about.

“Tea?” He offered, gently.

She shook her head and took her hat off, fiddling with the brim. “I’m sorry, Giles.”

“That’s quite all right. Just means there’s more tea for me.”

Buffy looked at him as he smiled at his own joke and she smiled back, laughing a little. Giles seemed delighted by this and looked as though he didn’t quite know what to do with himself. After a moment he turned around and walked back into the kitchen, filling the kettle up with water and heating it up.

This is quite a sad fic really, isn't it? And this chapter tells us why. Buffy's journey here is one of self-discovery. Can she learn to trust again? Is Spike the one to help her? Well, she seems to have decided that he is. She's decided to trust him.

Either she agreed to trust Spike completely and continue seeing him or she had to kill him. She had chosen the former option and even now with him being a possessive, egotistical vampire she knew she couldn’t kill him. It just wasn’t an option for her anymore. Buffy was in too deep, deeper than even she realised.

Trouble is, as you said yourself JM, this is BigBad Spike and BigBd Spike wasn't all puppy eyes and do anything for a pat on the head from the Slayer. He was full of himself and self-riteous and cocky and brazen and he relished being a vampire. If that included lying to the slayer about where he was getting his daily haemogloben well, no hurt no foul... what Buffy's eye doesn't see, her heart won't grieve over. Trouble is... things never remain undiscovered around the Slayer, and what will that do to her fragile self-confidence and desire to trust again?

Yup... I sense angst ahoy.

Loving reading this though, pet. 's good fun.

Spotted a couple of small typos, Buffy knew she was the course of his premature ageing. s/b, 'cause of his premature ageing'. I thought it might be beneficiary to use your hurt ... s/b 'beneficial to use your hurt... ' I think.

Author's Response: Yeah, the Giles and Buffy relationship is so important to Buffy and how she lives. It is a sad fic, I never intended this to be an easy happy fic :) yeah, Big Bad Spike is not on anyones leash. Kind of makes it more interesting in some ways. You're right about the spellings. I shall change them immediately.

Oh man- she's in deep. Is Spike going to keep killing? I'm actually a little worried what will happen when she finds out. Will she never trust anyone again? :-S I like the fic, but it has me worried at the same time.

good update

absolutely lovely....I love the last thing Buffy says, "did someone die from the beauty of us?" You've got a knack darling.