Brilliant story, love how we at least get bits of the real Buffy, the bot is totally awesome. Keep doing what you're doing

Author's Response: Hi Caroline! Thank you sooo much! I'm so glad everyone is liking the Bot! She really tries hard and is a good egg. I agree, Paganbaby's suggestion to have Buffy 'come and go' was spot-on! Having all 'crazy buffy' would've gotten old quickly. Glad you agree! Thanks so much for reading and stopping in! Don't be a stranger!

another great chapter. I really love the pics throughout, it adds a little more edge to the story. Looking forward to more.

Author's Response: Hi TC! Thanks so much. I'm glad you like the pictures! Will have more soon! Thank you for reading and stopping in!

Another great chappie babes.:) You're knocking it outta the park with this one. Love how you have Buffy in and out of lucidness(is that a word?) so heartbreaking for both of them. And the Bot is so awesome. You made a good choice to have her in this story. It balances out the sadness and angst really well.
I wish Buffy would tell Spike about Dawn and needing him to make a baby. but that would be too easy lol. Hated Negative! Buffy(too much like canon!) and loved the Abby reference. I love her too and Spike definitely would too. :)

And dammit here's the Big Poof! How the hell did he find them? Isn't he supposed to be in Pylea or something?
That was a truly evil cliffie. I hope Buffy or the Bot save Spike from Angel and shove a stake so high up his ass that he dusts. *evil laff and mustache twirl*

I see you've finally read the comics. Are you finished yet? Or have you not gotten to the most disgusting and stupid issue yet? Number 34 *spit* I officially despise Angel now and before the comics I liked him well enough. And Buffy isn't too far behind. They made her stupid, selfish and a horrible person. My love for the verse suffered for a long while, and I had a hard time even reading fics set after Chosen cause I just couldn't make them fit into the Buffy they portrayed in the comics. And no Spike anywhere so it looks like she never loved him at all.(and number 36 just reinforced that. *cries*) I was really, really down for a while there. And season 9 isn't much better, at least Angel is off with Faith, but no Spuffy to speak of. I apparently am some sort of masochist and can't stop reading them, it's like a train wreck lol. And the pic of Buffy is nice, but it's from that horrible issue so I don't like it. Sue me I'm petty. :)

More soon plz, and hopefully some Angel dustage. For me pretty please? *smooches*

Author's Response: Hi AMI!!! Glad you're liking it! Yes, I do think my evil muse was being kind to include the Bot to lighten the angst a bit. She's a good egg. Glad you agree that Spike would like Abby! I love her!

Yes, {sigh} sorry, I know it would be better for Buffy to tell Spike about the baby-making-Dawn-saving thing, but ... way too easy. If it helps at all, she will continue to struggle with that and even come very close to telling him, until he, of course, does something stupid and prideful and stops her. Oh, our poor bad-communicate-y couple!

We'll find out how the Poof found them next and if there is any Angel dustage to be had.

Yes, I read the comics. Yes, I barfed. I knew who TW was waaaay before the big 'reveal' and I kept going, 'Buffy! Really! You can't tell who the F that is!??" I have to say that whole thing had me just confused - Why would Buffy do that!?!?! (any of it!!) Grrrrr! Joss! He's such a wanker!

I am into S9 now, no Angel, lots more Spike, BUT Buffy still won't give him a crumb! She just uses him when she needs a friend and he just lets her. Damn it, Buffy! How could she stand there in the Hellmouth and say 'I love you' and then be like this? GRRRR! I guess Spike was right, 'No you don't...'

I probably should've stuck with fanfic! I'm sorry that the comics turned you off even fanfic for a while. I get it, because I kept looking for things that 'fit' with my own fics to kinda validate them, but there was very little to be had. The thing I did like was Spike saying he'd like a 'normal life' and that he could be that for her and that he'd like 'kidlets'. That was a nice validation. Of course, Buffy wasn't having it. Bit-ca.

Actually where I snagged that picture, someone had cut Angel out of it already. I do love those drawings, I keep wishing for a Spuffy one, but alas ...no. There was one with Spike and Buffy on the couch watching TV and doing a crossword or something, but it wasn't by that super good artist (Whose name escapes me now).

Will have more later today! Can't promise about the Angel dustage (yet?) :O (oooo, is that a spoiler for later? hmmmm...)

Thanks sooo much for reading and always stopping in, AMI! Always love your insights and wonderful reviews!! {hugs}

I'm enjoying this, alot. Evil cliffie, not withstanding. Update soon, please!

Author's Response: Thank you so much, templeton2! Will have more today! I'm so glad you're liking it - thanks for stopping in here! It means a lot to me!

Very interesting. I am enjoying the Bot developing as a full fledged character. I think it was a strok of genius for Spike to bring her along for this ride. And the glimpses of Buffy coming back to him, and then leaving again--truly heart breaking. And they totally need to create a solid bank of insults for the Bot. I look forward to that interaction. And Angel, that is kind of the best evil cliffie imaginable at this point. Not too evil, but not has morally ambiguous as any of her friends would be. Interested to see how that plays out. Update soon!

Author's Response: Hi BuffyRat! (I typed BuffyRate first and that reminded me of Doyle .. 'Our rats are low' ... I liked Doyle ... hated to see him die. Sorry, my mind wanders at times). Glad you're liking the Bot! Yes, she and Buffy will sit down and create a databank of insults in the future, I promise! And, yes, of course, you're right, having Angel as the threat (rather than Giles, Xander, or Willow) should make it easier for Buffy, even Barmy Buffy, to distinguish good vs. bad in that fight. We can hope anyway. After (recently) reading S8 of the comics that premise could be wrong, but I'm gonna put my fingers in my ears and chant 'la,la,la,la,la" and pretend I never read that barf-worthy do-do.

Thanks so much for reading and stopping in! I'm really glad to hear you like the Bot. Hope to have the next on Tuesday.

Another perfect chapter, another perfect song and I sit eager for more.

Author's Response: Hi Blue Eyes! Thanks so much! Got another posted for you! Your wish, my command! :)

Oh poor Buffy...I felt so sorry for her waking up in the psych ward. Glad she got out fast, but would have loved to see Spike's "plan" lol.

Very sexy shower scene , but I wasn't surprised it ended that way. Buffy's guilt won't let her enjoy anything or be happy. Like you say it'll be a long process. I felt bad when she locked
spike in the bathroom , but loved how he was listening to make sure she was ok, and didn't bust open the door so as not to scare her. Good to see Buffy is remembering some of what Joyce told her too. Let's see what or when she'll tell Spike.
Loved how he coaxed her out with the coffee, and that last pic of Spike was awesome. I've never seen that before, did u do it yourself?

I've been trying to catch up with the Unexpected stories cause I'm so far behind. It's tough, and I'm skimming some because it's too much angst in one go, but I have the basic idea of what's going on. I just really have no time to review all of them. :( I'll be starting "Scream" soon and will review that, promise. :)

I wondered about Buffy not being cleaned up too. When my dad was in the hospital a while back( he was there for 1 1/2 months) the nurses cleaned him up especially in ICU. But then there was always someone with him to make sure everything was OK and being done. Your poor friend. :(

Loved it and am looking forward to more this wkend. *hugs*

Author's Response: Hey AMI!! Yes, I'm sure that Spike's plan would've been PERFECT. No problems at all getting her out of there. :P Poor Spike and his plans that go array.

Yeah, with my evil muse, there was no way that shower scene could end any other way, but I loved the massage ... can I have one now?

Telling Spike about the mission is gonna be a point of inner debate for Buffy, which we will have glimpses into so we know her Buffy-logic (which is sometimes not really clear to sane people).

The last picture of Spike, is a screencap from Dead Things when Buffy knocked him down by accident, thinking she was fighting those demons that the Trio sent after her. I just sort of mucked up the grass and stuff in the background so it didn't look quite so much like he as laying on the ground. Is that the one you were talking about? I like the one where he was sitting against the wall - that was a JM photo shoot from the Buffy-era.

Oh, Yay that you've been trying to catch up on Unexpected! Yeah, some of that time-frame you've been reading was very angsty. Scream wasn't too bad - just a couple of chapters in the middle and the angst wasn't so much Spike and Buffy as other people. Would love to have you back there!

I was less than happy with the hospital my friend was in. If I hadn't done some things for him, they wouldn't have gotten done - but there was no bathing or cleaning up at all. When they sent their survey after he got out, I told them I wouldn't take my dog to that hospital - in the future, we'll just drive further. I'm sure the nurses would be happy if we didn't come back, I made my displeasure fairly clear to them.

Glad you liked the chapter. Thanks so much for reading! I always look forward to your insightful reviews. {hugs}

Really enjoying this fic it's written really well carnt wait for more :-)

Author's Response: Thanks so much! I hope you continue to enjoy it! Love to know how your thoughts going forward! Thanks for reading and stopping in!

Wow, the emotional upheaval in this chapter was crazy. A brilliant job you have done so far. I'm really enjoying this, thankyou.

Author's Response: Thank you so much, TC! My muse is evil (though he's devilishly handsome, so I forgive his evilness) and loves to make me cry. I'm so glad you're enjoying the ride! Will have more soon! Thanks for reading and stopping in here. Look forward to hearing from you again as our heroes continue this journey.

Wow....that's a very interesting observation you went into with the soul. I like how you tackled that :) Kind of curious where the B/B/S thing will play...I mean...I don't think that's how you make a baby...

Shannon

Author's Response: Hey Shannon! Well, you just never know - it could happen that way with the B/B/S hookup! Ok, probably not really, but we'll get to that later and it will hopefully make sense. Glad you liked the 'soul' theory my muse came up with. Where did the monks get Dawn's soul, anyway?? Thanks so much for reading and stopping in! Hope all is well with you!!

I absolutely love this story! and the pictures included give it great imagery as well. I hope you update soon I cant wait for another chapter!

Author's Response: Oh! That's the most awesome thing my muse could hope to hear! Thank you so much!! It means a lot! Glad you like the photos, too. They can take a while to find, so I'm glad they add to the story. Gonna try to update a couple of times a week, so maybe next Tuesday for the next? I'll try for that. Thanks again - love hearing from you, hope you continue to enjoy the story.

Oh and one more thing I forgot to mention regarding this storyline. Hats off for one that begins with Dawn doing the sacrifice and before it was too late and second note regarding this particularly story that has me on pins and needles is bringing the Buffybot and making her a more important character or at least the "threesome" implies. I am very curious how this pans out though honestly I'm more of mind of two Spikes or B/B/G but hey I know I'll love it with you in the driver seat. Can't wait.

Author's Response: Hey again! I did the two Spikes in the Unexpected story not long ago, and have been *trying* to get my muse to go back and do that again, but for whatever reason, he wanted to do the G/G/B thing with Buffybot. ( He said something about Spike deserving a treat for once). The Bot will have a pretty extensive role in this story, and will provide some much needed comic relief (at least I hope it will be comical!), but there will be more to her than that. We didn't really get to see her much in canon - just what ... 2 or 3 episodes? But I liked her and I think she really adds a nice balance here to Buffy's depression so we don't all want to jump off a bridge! She's fun to write in the way Anya is fun, so I hope everyone likes her. Thanks again! Will have more soon!

Hi Sweetie! I'm liking the begginning of this, you're right there's not many stories where Dawn sacrifices herself and what happens in the aftermath. This was heartbreaking and lovely and soooo sad. Hope I can hold on for all the angst. :)

Poor Spike and Buffy, and also Tara. I hate that they want to turn her over to the WC. UGH!!

Could they be more horrible to Spike? Why would they cut him off from Buffy after all he did to help them? Wankers!

The Buffybot 3some seems weird but I trust you to have it make sense (as long as it ends Spuffy I'm happy.) I'll admit the only warning that makes me nervous is the rape. *bites nails*

Great start! *squish*

Author's Response: Hey AMI! Great to 'see' you!! **miss you** I hope you can hold on through the angst, there will be happy Spuffy eventually, I promise! And I think ... I hope, anyway, that the threesome will make sense when we get there. It's not just porn with no plot behind it. If I were gonna do that, there'd be two Spikes, instead! :P

Well, you know how the Scoobies were with Spike, even when he helped them all summer in canon they treated him like an outsider. I could see them, Xander esp., wanting to make sure he had no access to an incapacitated Slayer. Remember Xander's words to Spike after Buffy came back - 'I hope you're not going to start your little obsession now that she's around again.' Yeah, I think he would've talked Willow into dis-inviting Spike and making sure Spike's 'little obsession' didn't manifest further.

I felt bad for doing that to Tara, 'cos I love her, but my logical mind couldn't find a way around it. I've seen stories where Tara is cured just by Glory dying, but that never sat well with me logically, and I didn't see Willow being able to do her spell under those conditions, even if she had it ready.

The rape will not be graphic, I promise - not described at all really, just the very beginning and then the aftermath shown. I'll be sure to renew the warning when we get there so no one is surprised. It won't be for a while.

So glad you can stop in! I love hearing from you and really miss you (But I get it, really I do!!) . Look forward to hearing your thoughts going forward. {hugs}