I enjoyed this story very much! Thank you for posting! :)

Oooh! Good! Unconventional, but (or therefore) good!

Author's Response: Thanks, acajou. I appreciate you taking the time to read and review one of my earlier stories.

Oh wow, that was a great chapter... (Not that the others aren't great. :P)

The way you delved into Spike's head was very realistic and while it's a little annoying to see how little self-confidence he has in the matter of his past, simply because we can look at it from the outside, it is also really heartbreaking what he is hiding beneath that tough facade.

Besides, I think everyone can relate to feeling unworthy of love and like a failure. He just takes it to a new level.

It's good Buffy finally told the whole story. I also liked the talk they had about it, how horrified Spike was at Buffy's fear that he hated her now. Of course, as people standing there from the outside and knowing how fanfictions work, it was bound to happen a lot like this, but you still did an outstanding job with the how. :)

Oooh... Three weeks to go...

Thanks for the update! :)

Author's Response: Hee... I love you, just so you know. ;) I\'m very happy that you\'re still enjoying the story!

You just want to smack him upside the head, don\'t you? Good thing he has Buffy to tell him he\'s worth more than he thinks he is. He\'ll get there. :)

Oh yeah, he definitely does. Not that surprising though. Most people could hardly say they\'ve been through as much crap as he has.

Well, I couldn\'t have them breaking up, could I? ;) But I also think their connection is strong enough to withstand that kind of trouble. They\'ll get mad and fight but then they\'ll talk and sort it out. That\'s how strong relationships work.

Thank you for the yummy review!! :) Only few chapters to go.

First of all: Phew... That was hot.

Second of the rest: I'm really curious whether Buffy loving Spike is a good thing or a bad thing. It must be amazing to him because he's the one who can't be loved (according to his past), but I think it'll freak him out and ruin things for a while. Which I would actually prefer, seeing as I'm a sucker for angst. :P

Thank you for the last two chapters! :)

Author's Response: Hee... I\'m delighted to hear that.

Being loved is a good thing, but Spike has been isolated from letting himself feel for so long that adjusting to that is a difficult process. You\'ll find out more about his reaction in the next chapter. Spike POV coming up. ;) Love that you love angst. I\'m quite partial to it myself, but I\'ve got to be in the right mood.

I\'m happy you enjoyed. :) Thank you for the sweet review!!

I love this story.

I love that you took the time to delve into Buffy and Spike's respective problems and thoughts before even getting them in proximity. I love that you created a likable villain you feel sorry for. I love that you weren't afraid to destroy Spike's perfect body in a hideous way most of us don't dare. I love that there was some angst on both sides about the other not loving them anymore. I love the way they did manage to say 'I love you'. I love the magical aspects of the story, the elements in the binding and especially the reading of the stones. I love that you are one of nowhere near enough writers to realize how important Dawn is to Spike and vice versa.

Oh. And I love sane Dru. She's creepier that way. :)

Xander's not really the most interesting character in my book, but I like that you made him grow up. It's interesting which ways his character might be able to go.

About Giles: I do agree that he has been treating her wrong and that Buffy should start standing up to him, but it does fill me with grief to think they will never have their unique father-daughter bond again. I don't know where you're planning on taking this story where that is concerned, but I would like for them to find a way to start over. (Yes, sappy me.) And he better not give Spike any shit.

Thank you for doing a great job and I hope you will update soon.

Author's Response: This may be one of the best, most thorough, and certainly most rewarding reviews I\'ve received for the story so far. Thanks so very very much. Hopefully you like the things I have planned as I reach the conclusion of this story, and hopefully today\'s update (good timing, btw) satisfies your craving. Cheers!

It's over? IT'S OVER??? Oh wow, you weren't kidding when you said the story was coming to an end. :(

Well, I'll just have to accept that.

Now as to the chapter itself: The thing I undoubtedly loved the most was Spike pranking Giles and his childish glee at annoying him. It's so Spike. :P The bit with the receptionist was fun, although I really would have liked to know what exactly the message was.

I still agree with Willow that it's a pity Buffy should never speak to someone again who used to be the closest thing she ever had to a father. I get the explanation, but I think shutting Giles completely out of her life forever might make her feel better and liberated for a while, but eventually she would be miserable with missing the way things used to be between them.

I actually think it's a great idea to have Buffy and Spike only semi-living together. This way, they can be around each other whenever they want to but also take their respective space and time alone. At least as a starting point after finally getting together for good, it sounds like a good plan.

All in all a short, but sweet conclusion that - to me - begs for a sequel or at least an epilogue.

Thank you for sharing this story with us! :)

Author's Response: As for Giles - in Lies My Parents Told Me, after he tried to get her out of the way so Wood could kill Spike, she told Giles flat-out that she was done: \"I think I\'ve learned everything I can from you,\" and shut the door in his face. He had betrayed her for the very last time as far as she was concerned. And that was a year prior to this story\'s timeline. So she did give him another chance, but he\'s used those all up.

As for a sequel - no. I am currently all worn out from bringing this story into the world in only three months, start to finish. I just don\'t have the juice in me for another story just yet. If I do write more, it probably won\'t be in this timeline. Still I\'m thrilled you enjoyed it as much as you did.

First things first: I'm not normally one to read pregnancy stories. Usually, the mere hint of it makes me want to run in the opposite direction.

Add to my initial dislike the fact that VAMPIRES ARE STERIL WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO GET THAT, I haven't really read the Spuffy version much.

You sort of surprised me with it and strangely enough, I stuck with it. I think the thing I like most about your version of the tale is the setting. There are plenty of Spuffy pregnancy stories out and about set pretty much anywhere where Buffy and Spike either don't know each other at all or are already really happy together in strange parallel universes or post-'Chosen' utopiae.

You, however, chose the one time I love the most, where Buffy is vulnerable and her relationship with Spike is built on mutual abuse. Call me a sucker for angst, but the show is the most interesting then.

Maybe that's the reason I kept reading, maybe it's also due to the fact that I love the way you made Buffy accuse Spike of putting something unnatural in her and his reaction to finding out he can be a father if Buffy keeps the baby.

This last chapter only proves that I was right to not give up on the story. The Scoobies were perfectly in character and you feel as lost as Buffy does, as alone in her situation when they start judging.

The sentence that blew me away - the epiphany I never managed to have before about their relationship - was that Spike would never look at her with disgust and disappointment, only with love.

Thank you for your story. I eagerly await a new update! :)

Author's Response: Thank you for this wonderful review. I\'m glad you\'re enjoying the story. I\'m also glad that you liked the setting because that\'s pretty much the reason I wrote it. I\'m a sucker for season 6 angst and I felt like it was the perfect time to write this piece.

I always love this storyline. No matter how many times it's done, I can't get enough of it. Helps that it's different every time.

Your version begins with a very astute assessment of Spike as a character of motion. It's interesting. I've spent what should amount to a few weeks thinking about Spike, analysing him to pieces and this is one thing I hadn't been aware of before you wrote it. It's true, though. Spike's need to move is like his habit of breathing even when he doesn't need to.

I like how you actually put Spike through more torture than the series dares to show. It's like they're always afraid if they make the torture too gruesome and extreme, they'd have to up the rating, and thereby end up making it kind of unrealistic. I very much like the explanation of him missing the blood to bruise.

Buffy cutting Spike down is one of my absolut favorite Spuffy moments, because it's one of the only times (possibly the only time) when she looks at him with an incredible amount of tenderness. Also, Spike's reaction to realizing she's real and she came for him is so beautiful... You did a good job of describing it.

However, I don't think Spike's knees buck because he can't keep his body weight up, not in this moment or at least not as the most important point. I think he gets weak in the knees out of relief, gratitude and joy. It's the moment he truly understands that Buffy really does believe in him and considers him worthy of saving.

The moment in the car was beautiful. Also, Xander's and Giles' reactions were very in character. What I didn't completely understand was why the first would torture Spike for not killing Buffy. As far as I can remember, that was never his task.

I especially love the when in the end, Spike goes 'still' - a nice round way of picking up the previous thoughts of motion and stillness, even though I'm not entirely sure why you chose stillness as a motive in this particular scene. Did you do it to emphasize his vulnerabilty? Because one would think being around Buffy (at least in fanfiction world) should be cure enough, not further intimidation.

I hope this story isn't over yet! I love it so far. :)

Author's Response: Hi Acajou,

It\'s been awhile since I\'ve seen the episode, so what I remember may be skewed. I thought he sagged a bit as his hand came down, before he said anything and before he realized that he was being rescued.

My take on it is that The First wanted to get inside Spike\'s head and control him, with an ultimate goal of using him to take out Buffy. As Drusilla, she says straight out that he\'s being punished for \"spilling secrets\" but I don\'t remember him ever really saying anything that Buffy didn\'t already know, except a little about his trigger.

I had Spike go still because it\'s what he does when he\'s hurting, whether Buffy is around or not. She\'s taking care of him, but if you remember when she kissed him following Glory\'s torture, Spike held himself very still then as well. He\'s not intimidated - it\'s only that a little blood and conversation is nowhere near enough for him to suddenly be all better.

Also, sorry to disappoint, but this one is a one-shot. Distress Signals was one of the largest things I\'ve written for any fandom and my first for BTVS, and I\'m a little low on \"writer-juice\" just now. The oneshot is about all I have energy for, for the time being.

Thanks for the review, and your thoughts!

Always interesting to see post-'Chosen' stories. Everyone does them differently.

I like yours a lot so far; Buffy's introspection, the way she just seems to shut down. I love the little scene with Wood and especially the heartbreaking goodbye from Giles. He said exactly what I always felt he should and it hurts my soul to see them reduced to a handshake.

I don't agree that Buffy loved Spike at the ending. I think she tried, she wanted to, she found him worthy of her love, but she couldn't give it and that's why Spike didn't believe her, because he can always see through her. But hey, it's not like I don't wish she had meant it... So I'll just accept that as author's freedom and enjoy the story from that point on.

I absolutely loved your line of thought about Spike being somewhat exalted in his last moments and had therefore reached a state of consciousness where Buffy's meager admission of love couldn't stop him from closing the Hellmouth.

Personally, I don't get why you didn't publish this in two chapters so far, seeing as it was clearly divided in two seperate from each other. Then again, I get if you just can't wait to publish it as far as you have written it. I have my problems with that kind of patience, too. :P

I don't know if I will give a review for every chapter, seeing as I prefer to review when I have something to say, but I will definitely keep reading and am looking forward to finding out where you're taking this story.

Thank you for sharing it with us! :)

Author's Response: Hi Acajou,

My take on it: This is a Spuffy story. Therefore, she loves him. I think it took her a long time to LET herself love him and that he couldn\'t believe the admission once she finally got past her hangups and actually said it.

Second, there are only 3000 words in this first chapter and if I\'d split it up then at least one of them would have been too short to satisfy, and possibly too short for the submission rules on some of the sites I post to. Plus I plan for this story to be shorter than Distress Signals and am trying to pare down in such a way that each chapter moves the story forward.

Thanks for reading, as always.

A little less conversation - a little more Spike please... :P

But apart from that, good chappie! :) I like your writing style and actually didn't skip the scenes that only consist of introspection.

More please!

Author's Response: Thanks Acajou! I\'m flattered you enjoy my writing style and I kept you interested enough to read the whole thing! More will be coming soon!

This has been done many times, but I love the way you did it.

You've got the way Spike speaks and thinks nailed. But I'm pretty sure I've said that already.

I just love your writing. :)

Thank you for sharing this with us.

Author's Response: THANK YOU :D You\'re so darn nice! :P

This is making me so happy... I've never met a fluffy story that actually makes me happy and not depressed...

Loved the Spuffy moments, loved the Dawn moments, even loved the part with Xander (even though he's not my favorite character, especially in this story arc). What more is there to say?

Oh! And a special thank you for recognizing Dawn and Spike's love for each other. So many authors completely disregard it, but I can never get enough of reading about it.

More, more, more! I hope you can update soon! Waah, I'm really happy right now... :D

Author's Response: Oh no! You\'re gonna hate me for the rest of the story! It gets sorta angsty!! :P Haha thanks again!! Yeah, usually I hate Dawn, but it was an important facet of Spike\'s relationship with the Scoobies, so I thought I should include it. Chapter 3 is being typed up! :D It\'s pretty short, so it should be up by the weekend! :D

Nice, Buffy actually acts like she cares! :) Wonder what's going on with Spike, though...

And to answer your last review response: I actually prefer angst to anything, so that's really not a reason for me to dislike this story. :P As a matter of fact, I was suprised at how much I liked the fluffy parts. :)

I'm sorry you got a concussion. Thank you all the more for updating! :)

Author's Response: It\'s really overdue! Ah, we shall see... ;D ... Ha, oh well that\'s alright then. I\'m an angst fiend myself! It\'s shameful, \'cause I cry at EVERYTHING! ... Haha, so am I! :P No problem, thanks for reading!! :D