I hate Spike. I hate him so much in this chapter. The funny thing is I rarely ever hate anyone, but this is just evil in its own discrepancies-- no remorse, no emapthy--- hollow. I can't even flick the recommendation to "liked it" even though I absolutely love this story, and will continue to the finish... it's just... I'm pissed!

No Remorse? He may feel Vindicated but I can't see him not feeling bad for that.

Author's Response: I'm going remorseless, unfeeling thing. What Buffy thought Spike was in season five and six.

I just read through the reviews of this chapter and I have to say I really laughed my head off - boy do some people get fired up! almost to being ridiculous...

anyway, I just thought I'd leave a review now cos its been a while since an update and i always find that new reviews when I'm struggling with the next chapter help, so just so you know there are still readers really liking this fic! I reread the whole thing again today, and its kinda intense all at once but at the same time I can sort of fool myself that I'm doing something educational cos its one of the most intelligent fics out there. At least, thats my excuse.
Anyway, hope you're still updating it and can't wait to see more! I know how it is though with being insanely busy at times so take your time too!

Author's Response: Best. Review. Evar. I'll take the "most intelligent fic" comment and worship it as much as I do SMG (and you'd be surprised how far I go with that, especially with my vast collection of pictures and the danc-- err, nevermind). Seriously. Awesome motivation right there. You can't buy that in stores or on amazon or even ebay (and ebay has everything!). Thank you so much squawks! I'll be rambling in my head about my fic being "intelligent" for weeks (and that was not sarcasm, even though it kinda sounds that way, it's not).

Nina, it is more like people have a obession with making Buffy the one in their relationship. That is what I don't like. it is like men are evil and women are not.

buffy always has excuse for being awful. like coming from a horrible home life, being abuse, so on.

while spike is just a jerk for the hell of it.

the author so damage this story. big time

a big fat two thumbs down.

Author's Response: Again, nobody is forcing you to read this story. If you need to have Buffy as the villain in a story, just go write one. Please don't troll, though.

Wow, Spike is REALLY messed up. He's almost bordering on sociopath, with the way he's completely discarded the ties between right and wrong. This is fabulous writing, I'm well and truly addicted. I have absolutely no idea how you're going to change Spike's current outlook and lack of emotion, how he's going to come to love Buffy, but I can't wait to find out. Please update soon!

Author's Response: Thank you so much! Comments like these really invigorate me and get me churning out chapters. You completely got what I wanted to convey with Spike, and I think you'll be pleased with how things turn out in the end. The end, as you may already know, is still a ways away, as I need to dig Spike out of his grave first before we can even address Spuffy. Thanks for the motivation. :)

....I'm glad to see you're back, was starting to worry if you were ok....I'm not able to review right now, I need another day to separate my thoughts. If I were to review Spike's behaviour in lieu of it being International Woman's Day and having spent the day at the University's rallies it wouldn't be fair.....that said, I'd certainly classify this chapter's Spike as a monster, not the man Whedon's Spike so often wished Buffy would see him as.

Author's Response: Hopefully I won't have to worry you anymore as soon I'll have an easier class schedule and thus be able to mutilate this story a little more. ;) Spike's most definitely a monster, yes, I think he even recognizes that now, at least partially. I look forward to a full review. ;)

Oooooooo - you just don't get it. Don't do to this fic what you've done to so many and start a war of reviews - no one wants to hear what you have to say anymore. Obviously you have some obsession with not wanting Spike to be a bad guy, but read the story - Buffy isn't perfect like you said at all.

TestaALT - don't respond to any of ooooooo's comments, they're just there to be inflammatry and annoying. They just want you to get into an argument and cause problems like he/she's done with so many other fics.

By the way, love the fic. Sorry if you were already onto the ignoring stage.

Author's Response: I know; I've seen other fics that ooooo has left in ashes. I much prefer to respond to what ooooo has to say, though, while at the same time not give into the blatant trolling and flaming. Thanks for this, though; it's reassuring to know that no one takes anything s/he has to say with any grain of salt. And, most important of all, thanks for reading! :D

I don't get it, why is he so unfeeling & downright nasty. I can't imagine that she will ever forgive him or them ever getting together, there is too much hate

Author's Response: You're 100% right: too much hate. Spike will need to see the problem, look for solutions to the problem, and finally set out to solve the problem. Once this happens, and with a little help from the story with some rescuing and other secrets revealed, it will be completely plausible to see the both of them together. I got it all worked out in my head, trust me. ;) Thanks for commenting!

hmmmm, definitely a lot to think about. its kind of weird for me to like this story cos I'm usually such fluff lover all the way, with bits of angst here and there to make it interesting. But this is something even more than angst, which is why I don't quite understand why I love it but I do...so, well, thats my point. I love it. Hope you update soon.

Also, don't think I've said it yet - I love your style of writing. I'm always amazed at the amount of fics that come out with shocking grammar/paragraph configuration/etc...but yours is always written beautifully, with great language as well. Lots of big words - obviously you listen in school! or read heaps. Either way, great writing. Hope you plan to write more after this fic.

Author's Response: Thank you so much squawks! :D Writing style comments are some of the greatest, most cherished reviews I get, so thanks! :) I guess you pretty much nailed this fic dead on the head with "something even more than angst," kind of snowballed into that one, though, didn't really intend it. And yes, I do actually plan on writing a bit more after this fic; I have a few ideas that might be, at the very least, a little more popular and less offensive to the Spuffy public, maybe even easier to write about. Thanks again! :D

Well, if he still feels that way, this story is categorized spuffy why? Who wants her to still end up with him now? You made it so that they can´t come back from it. It´s a pity, I actually liked this story. But what you said about Spike, that he STILL feels that he had the right to do all this to her, and that it wasn´t wrong, that just kills it for me. It´s too much. The scale has sunken down too low on his side, the things he knew and did to her anyway weigh way more than what she ever did to him.

Author's Response: No, no, no, I said that he still felt that way but also that it was the sickest, most twisted feeling he ever felt in his life. In Spike's thoughts he also says "I'm sick" and that he feels horrible for not feeling any remorse or emotion whatsoever. He knows that something is wrong with him, and a big part of this story is Spike realizing what's wrong with him, trying to solve the problem, and finally becoming a man of worth. I'm not saying that he's instantly gonna try to be "better" (this is Spike, after all :) but he'll be introspective down the road and realize his major character flaws, set out to fix them, and along the way help Buffy. Redemption theme, like Crime and Punishment, with a curable hamartia tagged in. This is still and will always be Spuffy, but the angsty Spuffy with hopefully good gritty realism. Lowpoint of the story, and I _know_, most of the story has been "lowpoints." Thanks for the feedback.

Spike is a very sick puppy. Nobody deserves what he just did to Buffy. Can't wait to read more!

Author's Response: I wholeheartedly agree with your assertion. I think Spike does, too. Thanks for the feedback; you always do a great job showing me what you think. :)

can't wait to see what happens next!!!!!!!!! :D

Author's Response: Thank you. :)

I cant believe he doesn't even feel guilty for hurting her!

Author's Response: Me tooooooooo. :( He's such a horrible person. He'll start to realize this, though, and set out to be better. Thanks for always commenting! :)