Oh no you said the three letter word that starts with an E. I don't want it to...I don't want it to...your avid reader whimpers/whines. Another outstanding chapter...no surprise there. You carried the amazing tension from the last chapter right over into this one. You had me pretty worried about what was going to happen. You made me nervous when Willow's dark side made an appearance. What she did to the shaman was...all kinds of ewwww. You had me scared when Faith went down. I am selfishly relieved that none of the main characters were lost. Have the impression that you would not have hesitated if you needed someone to die for the story. Faith's grief over the Slayers that lost their lives was so moving. I loved the moment of intense connection that Buffy experienced with Willow, Dawn & Spike...especially everything that Buffy realized about Spike. I loved the contrast of Angel wanting to rush in to protect Buffy while Spike wanted to revel in Buffy's strength. Angel still seems in so many ways to see the girl that Buffy was not the woman that she has become. I found that many of your words & lines were beautifully visual in this chapter. These were a few... "in the cloying magic of this deceptively ordinary looking man, like a mosquito trapped in solidifying amber"..."It cried for joy at it’s renewed freedom, swirling and rushing through her body"..."She was the power, pure, savage and blacker than the darkest midnight."..."She spun the shaman’s body like a fly in the web of her magic, silken and deceptively beautiful, deadly and unbreakable." Now you have me geared up to see the after affects of the battle. Wanna say thanks for the extra long chapter too.