Don't worry, I'm prepared for things to get worse...though it hurts to see Spike so broken, and I get the feeling that it'll get still worse before the end...at least Buffy's coming to recognize what she's done to him, though. Her treatment of him during S6 always infuriated me--she was just so messed up, and Marti Noxen *damnhertoafierydeathinthedepthsofhell* mishandled the whole thing...anyway. Very good chapter, and I'm off to read more--this fic has me intrigued. Your exploration of Spike's abuse is fascinating and extremely well written.