1. There You Were by Ink [Reviews - 5] (1811 words)
This story is not a fluffy piece of Spuffy happiness. I, myself, am constantly on the lookout for a work of fiction that really evokes the spirit of Spike and Buffy. I know the point of fiction is to write things we didn't see; things that didn't happen… but happy fluff in the SpuffyVerse always seems OOC to me, for the simple and sad fact that it is. Buffy hated herself for wanting Spike in the 6th season, and it wasn't until he died in the 7th that he even deserved her. That was when she loved him, and we never got to see anything past that. We never saw the two of them in love, and in fiction – like I've said before – it reads false. I know there are some good fics on the subject, and it is nice every once in a while to read about Spike and Buffy getting along or about Buffy being madly in love with Spike, but it's not what I write. I more or less write what I saw, and what I saw was a lot of pain and anguish, and eventually respect. I'm not a Spike/Buffy fan because I believe they're so perfect for each other. I'm a fan because the emotions seemed more or less true to life. I explore the pair's feelings from a very canonical standpoint, and yeah… I want you to hurt. I want you to cry. I want you to come away with something. With that, I do hope that I've kept Spike and Buffy very well within the perimeter of their characters.

So there's no confusion: This first chapter starts off with Spike talking directly to Buffy (first person narrative from Spike's POV, maybe bordering on second person narrative). Every other chapter hereafter starts with the more traditional third person limited narrative from Buffy's POV, but moves back and stays in Spike's first person POV for the remainder of the chapter. I did this to eliminate the need for quotation marks when Spike is talking for an extended amount of time, and also to create a sense of intimacy with the reader.

And now, let me entertain you...

2. I would Never Stop by Ink [Reviews - 0] (2221 words)

3. But Then Again by Ink [Reviews - 0] (1915 words)

4. Balance by Ink [Reviews - 2] (2524 words)

5. So I Didn't by Ink [Reviews - 0] (4741 words)
This chapter is a lot longer than the others, but there was a lot I wanted to deal with here before the next chapter. If you've made it with me this far, you're to be rewarded with lots of angst and, hopefully, pain. Maybe you're like me and like that sort of thing in a story. At any rate, I think Spike would have it no other way.

6. Convenient by Ink [Reviews - 0] (5343 words)
Thanks to everyone who continues to read The Truth of It. This story has become something of an obsession with me. I don't think I've had a full night's sleep since I've started writing it, and I'm losing weight. I'm tired and I'm hungry, and I'm spending inordinate amounts of time watching Buffy, trying my hardest to get in to Spike's head. As a result, I lapse sporadically in to an English accent and sometimes throw in the odd made-up Spikeism during my day to day. Then I write it down if it was good. My boyfriend is, often times, confused. That's okay, though, because I think this story is all the better for it. It's definitely darker, this chapter in particular. It also ends a little differently from the others. I've set it up for the ending. Hope you enjoy!

7. Over by Ink [Reviews - 0] (6858 words)
I feel that I should explain something briefly. This story was always meant to be a character study of Spike. I wanted to explore the root and darkness of his nature while, at the same time, exploring the qualities inherent in his personality whether he's "good" or "bad". I'm using Buffy as an outlet for these things as I thought it made the most sense. I had the plot revealed in the last chapter planned out from the beginning. It serves two functions in this story: It is a plausible explanation for Spike not having a soul without negating his character development in season 7 of BtVS and seasons 5 of AtS, and it helps so that the narration doesn't become stale. So, while there is a little bit of a plot to move the story forward when there should be no reason for it, this is still mostly just a look in to Spike's head and his feelings for Buffy.

Having said all that, I've tried my best to keep a complicated subject simple and readable. I hope I've accomplished the goal. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Chapter dedication:I'm dedicating this chapter to James Marsters because of something he said. It gave me an idea, and I wrote the whole chapter around it in a way.

8. Need To by Ink [Reviews - 0] (5686 words)
This chapter deals a lot more with Spike's ambivalence toward his soul… while he had one, and his feelings toward it now that he doesn't. Mostly, I came at it with the idea that he's trying to talk Buffy out of caring about her soul, but he can't quite because he isn't completely convinced that he doesn't want his. I really like the introspection here, and honestly I think it's some of the best writing in the story.

Hope you enjoy!

9. The Truth of It by Ink [Reviews - 4] (8089 words)
This is the only chapter where I can say there is some "spuffy", but it's not fluff. That would go against everything I've written so far. This chapter is not quite as dark as the others, but I am happy to say that it brought tears to my eyes as I wrote it. Maybe that's because I'm so happy to get out of Spike's head that I could cry, or maybe it's because I haven't slept in a hundred years. I like to think it's because I wrote something profound. You, Dear Reader, please be the judge. For my part, I am proud and very happy with how this came out. I hope you can see why!