I'm in a real S5 mood right now. So can my fellow Spuffy shippers just name their fav S5 fics? It doesn't matter what kind of fic it is, or the rating. As long as it's set in S5 and it's an absolute favourite of yours, I'll be happy to read it. Thanks.

The Protectors by SinisterChic

Complete! The monks gave Buffy and Spike one night of fake memories. That would have been enough to change their lives. But when you add a glowing key in the form of an unborn baby, well . . . things wouldn't just change, they would be turned completely u

The Seer by Batdz Angel

What if you could change the future? That question begins a chain of events that that has changes happening in the lives of Buffy Summers, the Slayer, and her sister, Dawn, the Key. And it all starts with the arrival of a young woman with familiar eyes.

West of the Moon, East of the Sun by KnifeEdge

Every night it's the same dream: a dark room, a big bed, and a silent vampire I can't see... Set in an AU Season 5 with no Glory or Dawn B/S. Rating has gone up.

Mask and Mirrors by KPfeifferpack

There's a glitch using those Ghorah eggs as a surprising result develops from Dawns attempt to bring back her mother. Those developments both thrill and horrify Spike as the scoobies and Buffy discover the man behind the mask.

Running Wild by A Dreamweaver

In order to help Glory, Doc promises to remove Spike's chip if he finds a way to kill Buffy.

Ahead of Her Time by haleycc

Buffy and Spike are in for the surprise of their lives when an enigmatic Watcher travels from the future to enlist the help of the Scoobies in retrieving a mysterious weapon that has been stolen from the future Slayer. But when the true nature of the weapon is revealed, Buffy is forced to consider a shocking future with a vampire she loathes-or does she? Season 5, after Family.

Just about every fic written by Miranda but The Healing and Adversaries are both fantastic season five fics.

http://web.archive.org/web/20080820091936/http://home.nc.rr.com/miranda2/buffy.htm

Forward to Time Past by Unbridled _Brunette (one of my top, top, top favourites)
The victim of a spell gone awry, Buffy finds herself trapped in Victorian London, where she meets a man that is surprisingly familiar to her.

A Symphony of Echoes by Eurydice (I've only ever skim read the prequel Legion of True Hearts so can't really comment on that but still love this)
A confused Buffy is trying to get on with her life, but Spike's promise to stand by her haunts the Slayer. Her past collides with her future, forcing her to decide which---and who---she can trust.

Harbingers of Beatrice by Holly
Set in Season 5, post Triangle. Wolfram and Hart, host of the greatest evil acknowledged on Earth, attempts to restructure the Order of Aurelius, one vampire at a time. A soul hampers one, a chip harbors another, and a Slayer stands between them. The pawns are in place; it is simply a matter of who will move first.

Fall to Pieces by Rikki_oko (really brief 2k ish one shot but a great scene, such a shame that although it says it is intended to be expanded I don't think the writer is active anymore)
Picks up at Joyce's grave during the Angel/Buffy talk in Forever and heads in a decidedly Spuffy direction.

Walking after midnight by chelle
Buffy is injured while fighting a demon and finds herself paralyzed and in a wheel chair. Spike, needing a place to hide from demons, takes on the task of caring for Buffy while Joyce works. One thing is bound to lead to another...

I'll put in another vote for West of the Moon too.

Scooby Dawn - you should give Legion of True Hearts another go. It is one of my fav's though I'm 99% sure it and it's sequal are not season 5. Probably set after season 3 as there is mention of Angel leaving.

Wow, thank you all so much! I've got some readin' to do lol

Hi templeton2 in the summaries it notes Legion of True Hearts as seasons 3, 4 and Sympathy of Echoes as season 5 but now you mention it I remember Maggie and the Initiative being part of it all, Robin Wood as a TA or some such, so it must actually be more S4.

I didn't rule out LoTH, I just didn't fancy it at the time but really liked the notion of the follow up in SoE, it is the only time I've ever read a sequel without properly reading the prequel. I probably will revisit them both at some point as I enjoyed SoE so much.

Another Great Season 5 ish Spuffy story is Vic Noir's Battle Station's. Can't link unfortunately but I found it at All about Spike.

BTW, Scooby Dawn, Legion of the True Hearts is more William centric than Spike but truly a great read.

Holly has written some of the all time best season 5 fics
Needlework by Holly
Summary:
Buffy awakens to a new world where the rules as she knows them don't apply and nothing is as it was. Without her friends, without her calling, there is only one person who can save her from self-destruction.

Categories: Episode Rewrite, Claim, Season 5

http://dark-solace.org/elysian/viewstory.php?sid=43


The Writing on the Wall by Holly Rated:
Summary: There was no body to bury. There was no funeral. There was nothing but the three rules and the knowledge that a thousand years of torment was nothing compared to a world without her in it. Spike embarks on a journey through the Gates of Hell to rescue the one he loves, but in order to save her, he must risk losing himself.
Categories: Season 5

http://dark-solace.org/elysian/viewstory.php?sid=2483

The Writing on the Wall is one of my all time favourite, favourite, favourite fics. I only didn't include it because it is post The Gift, so really S6. But just for completeness Holly has separately posted an Epilogue for it (just under 5k).

You've gotta read Mustang Sally & RivkaT's ~ The Heart's Filthy Lesson & it's sequel's. The Heart's Filthy Lesson starts in Season 5. Really well written set of stories.

Just finished Of Fact and Fiction - by Angel Eternal. It is set in Season 5 and has time travel / AU. Very enjoyable fic.
http://web.archive.org/web/20050214044030/http://vampires-kiss.net/fics/factfiction4. html

Not Beneath Me by: Tasha

Summary: Begins at the end of the episode "Fool For Love" (Season 5). What if Buffy hadn't kept completely silent when Spike sat down next to her? What if she had asked him to stay and opened up to him, even a little?

Pretty much a full Season 5 re-write.

Out of My Head by: AJ Hofacre

Summary: When you're evil, you're evil, right? Not necessarily. Not in William The Bloody's case, anyway. He's still as big of a Big Bad as they come -- but keep in mind that it's always been his passion that has gotten him as far as he is now. And maybe, just maybe, if that passion were tweaked a little bit... directed toward a certain person... We could see what Spike was really capable of.

Spike gets the chip out in "Out Of My Mind" but he's still in love with Buffy.

A Switch in Time by: coalitiongirl

Summary: Four years after Sunnydale, Buffy must travel back in time to stop Glory and avert the destruction of the world. But there's a catch- she's been accidentally put in the wrong body. She's got all the information necessary to ensure a happily ever after for her friends and herself. But who's going to listen to Anya?

Very funny to read Buffy-possessed!Anya try to play matchmaker between Spike and her past self.

To Save A Lady by: Slaymesoftly

Summary: Set in an alternate, very early, Season V in which Spike is a more accepted member of the Scooby gang and everyone except Buffy and the vampire are more than aware of the growing attraction between the two. It takes an accidental trip back in time for them to realize how they feel about each other.

Who doesn't love a visit to Victorian London?

Have fun reading!

Strange Bedfellows series by Keren and Meredith. AU after Crush, includes Dawn - Glory - the Knights, etc. Written in a script format, very entertaining.