I recently re-read one of my all-time favorite fics, West of the Moon, East of the Sun by KnifeEdge. One of the great things about this fic is how gradually Buffy and Spike move from enemies to lovers. The insight the reader gets into both characters' thoughts and feelings all the way along this spectrum adds so much to the intensity and complexity of the romance.

Can anyone recommend other fics that pull off the romance of the slow build really well? Preferably no AH fics, and bonus for stories that have both Buffy and Spike POV.

P.S. If you haven't read WOTM, EOTS, it's up here on the Spuffy Realm and I can't recommend it highly enough.

Have you read Forward to Time Past by Unbridled_Brunette?
Summary: 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.

It seems like it's going to be a Buffy/William fic but it gets much more complicated than that.

If it is a depth story you want then have a try at this. Circumstances bond them but it takes time for them to get to being together in a way I think is quite in character...

Snow Virgins by lizerrrbeathan sequel Spike By Snowlight
Post Becoming - AU - Way up North. Buffy & Spike find mutual grief is the strange meeting place as they stem self destruction and the downward spiral spun from the disaster of Acathla. Story concludes twenty years later. NB The the links chapters 2-8 at the top of the sequel is for the other chapters, not a title to the page, this starts at chapter 1.

Thank you both! I've read these fics before, and they fit the bill exactly. Forward to Time Past is an all-time fave, and I loved Snow Virgins/Spike By Snowlight when I read them for the first time just last week. So much beautiful emotional weight to these stories.

Looking forward to more recs (hopefully!), and I think it might be time for a re-read of FTTP.

Variations on the theme:


A Different Light by dreamweaver

Summary: During the fight for the Gem of Amara, Buffy and Spike get pulled into another dimension.




Stranded By Bloodshedbaby

Summary-Set pre-Lover's Walk. Will Spike and Buffy survive the plane crash the Council arranged to kill them? Probably. But will Buffy survive being stranded in the middle of nowhere a vamp who hates her? And what's Angel going to think of this? Spoilers up to season 3.




The Truce by Eternal_red

Summary: Once in a galaxy, far, far...oh, that's been done. Right then. Humankind has been at war with the Aurelians for decades. When the two sides finally reach the point where negotiation is better than annihilation, a truce is called and a treaty negotiated on the planet currently under dispute. The peace treaty is cemented symbolically by the joining in marriage of the two youngest soldiers present, thereby throwing Buffy and Spike into a relationship that they really, really, don't want. Although not a traditional Vampire versus Slayer scenario, it is close enough to be familiar.





Walking After Midnight By Chelle

Summary: 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



Influence of Demons by gabrielleabelle

Summary: Goes AU after S5's Checkpoint. Five years ago, Buffy and Spike fell into a portal to a dimension ruled by demons. Finally, reunited, their goal is to get back home. However, the years in this dimension have changed them. Spike's long isolation keeps him distant, and Buffy's enforced life at a brothel has caused her to forget the Slayer she used to be. Somehow, they'll have to find themselves again to defeat a powerful enemy and make it home.

OK, I'm going to try again

Because of the popularity of the author you have probably read this but I really like the realistic relationship progression in this one, even though it is starting from a later, established point in their history so we are on from hate already...

Blood of The Sire by BuffymeetsSpike
This story takes place in Season 6, after As You Were. Spike kills a demon in a bar brawl, and his brother exacts revenge. Despite their rocky relationship, Buffy undertakes an arduous quest to save Spike's life. Will Buffy, Spike, and their relationship survive the experience?


I like how they develop in the early stages of this one so it might work for you...

Whispers in the Dark by Ashlee
Battling a demon on a routine patrol one night, Buffy is seriously injured. When Giles realizes the full extent of the damage, he knows there is only one person who can help her get back to the Slayer she used to be.

Thanks and many more thanks! There are a bunch in there I haven't read yet, and I'm looking forward to rectifying that immediately.

For anyone else who reads this thread, Promise of Frost by Eurydice also meets the criteria:
When a snowstorm strands Buffy and Spike, they are forced to turn to each other for strength, especially when a missing Giles, mysterious visitors, and way too much magic threatens to turn it into a not so very merry Christmas. Set mid-S4. - Complete

Legion of True Hearts and its sequel Symphony of Echoes by Eurydice also fits the bill, but you have to read both stories to get to the Spuffy. Although it's extremely worth it.

Legion - Post graduation, a restless Buffy goes to London to escape the memories of Angel, only to lose herself in unexpected dreams. But is William real, or is he a distraction? Is he, possibly...both? Buffy/William. - Complete
Rated NC-17

Symphony - Sequel to Legions of True Hearts. 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. - Complete.
Rated NC-17

Actually, EVERYTHING by Eurydice fits the bill. She's the queen of slow build, if you ask me.

And please pardon me while I slowly scroll through my Calibre spreadsheet. It may produce a bit of a posting frenzy, though I'll keep individual stories all in one post.

The Bloody Soul Series by Kallysten (or Kally 77) also fits the bill, IMO.

Bloody Soul - The wrong vampire gets cursed with a soul, and...

Fallen Demon - In Bloody Soul, the wrong vampire was cursed with a soul. Now soulless again, Spike waits to make his move on the Slayer... but killing her isn't exactly what he has in mind. Retelling of season 4.

Heaven's Key - Sequel to Fallen Demon The Slayer and her soulless, chipped vampire lover confront a goddess... along with the highs and lows of an unusual relationship.
Retelling of season 5

Secret Hell - After the events of Heaven's Key, Spike returns - with a pulse. Retelling of season 6. Final part of the series.

Change Partners and Dance by Dreamweaver also fits the bill. It's shorter at 55,5000 words, but...

Summary: What if when Buffy first arrived in Sunnydale, instead of a souled Angel meaning to help her, she was faced with a soulless Spike, looking to cause trouble and kill his third Slayer?

Runner Up for Best Romance and Best Author at the Sunnydale Memorial Fanfiction Awards! Nominated for Best Long, Best Romance and Best Spike Characterization at both the Spuffy Awards and the Rogue Poet Awards, and for Best Sex, Best Plot, Best Alternate Reality and Best Spike Characterization at the Spark and Burn Awards!

Daemons Luminati by Kalima also fits, IMO.

Summary: Can a vampire be dragged, kicking and screaming into the light? We'll see. Spike's a complicated guy, isn't he?
Author Notes: Herself, the most, in bunches. Liz who's unapologetic lust for Spike first made me want to march in Spike-pride parades – we're here, we love evil soulless things, get used to it!
This is dedicated to the yellow balloon. All creatures that can love and grieve have souls.
Story Notes: Season 6 through, oh, I don't know, let's say after she wore the lilac blouse of breaking up and before she wore the gray robe of victimization.

Denial by The Enemy of reality has the slow build happen in another dimension leaving the Scoobies scrambling when Spuffy reappear in their home dimension. Although, again it's very short clocking in at @26,000 words.
Summary: Forced to be close together for an infinite amount of time, it stands to reason that mortal enemies would drive each other insane. But when it comes to a self-righteous, uptight slayer and an irritating, chipped vampire, there is no reason. This story, set just after the end of S4, is full of banter and innuendo, so read on if you are interested.
Also, Riley left to roam the jungle a little earlier so he isn't in the picture.

The Bowiebharata (which is ZOMG one of my favorite series of all time...seriously the ice bucket scene in Changes just breaks my soul in all the good ways) by Mustang Sally and Rivkat also fits the bill with them falling in love over the course of several stories and the stories are completely top notch. I mean seriously, Serious Moonlight is one of the top 3 time travel Spuffy fics of all time.

The Heart's Filthy Lesson - Written with MustangSally, who isn't yet on the archive. In 2001 the evil from 1936 has reared its ugly head, a Nazi demon with an unpronouceable name and a vampire henchman has decided to use Sunnydale as a recruiting center for the disenfranchised and discontented undead. How will Buffy/Spike and the rest of the Scoobies manage to consign this particular evil back where it belongs? Written at the beginning of Season 5.

Serious Moonlight - Bad things happen to chairs. Also to Spike. Written with MustangSally, who is not yet on the Archive.

Changes - Written with MustangSally, who is not yet on the archive. Bet she's not your girlfriend, you couldn't make her happy... SPOILER WARNING: The Body. The bulk of Season 5 (i.e. Crush, Intervention, the Gift) cheerfully ignored.

Buffy Summers and the Spiders from Mars - Note: No spiders were harmed during the making of this story. All spiders were professional, well-trained stunt spiders, and proper safety precautions were taken. The chairs - well, that's another story. Written with MustangSally, who is not yet on the archive. AU/Deviates from canon right after Fool for Love. (If you read the story wearing your special disenchantment glasses (patent pending), you will see that the plot events of season 6 happen. This takes place between seasons 6 and 7. Since Spike already has a soul, obviously he didn't have to go to Africa, right? And we have a whole other take on the bathroom debacle.)

The Model Romance Series by Sweetprincipale also is a good match.

A Model Romance - Set in early S. 6, a reluctant Spike and Buffy head out of town to investigate mysterious activities going on at a modeling agency where six disappearances have been reported. Forced to work together when they have no one else to help, a romance develops.

Desire - Sequel to A Model Romance. Set in early S. 6, Buffy and Spike formed a difficult, but loving, relationship when they were forced to work together in an isolated situation. Can they make things work once they return home? Rated M, please read and review.

Acceptance - A sequel to A Model Romance and Desire please read those first . Alternate S.6- Spike and Buffy chose each other and overcame many obstacles to do so. Now Buffy works on fully accepting Spike into every area of her life. Rated M. Please read and review!

I just ran across this for another list and realized it fit here perfectly as well. It's an amazing and epic length tale that I've always suspected was written by an IRL published author who didn't want to be found out because the darkapple LJ was created specifically to house this and one other fic.

Imitation of a Man by darkapple

Summary: The events of "Dead Things" plunge Buffy and Spike, via time travel, into Spike's human past in an experience that transforms Buffy's view of him. The action begins with Buffy's return to the police station alley where, minutes before, she left Spike beaten and bloody. Rated NC-17