great chapter

Excellent, Willow's back. She should be able to help them get to Spike much faster! Really good chapter. =)

cant wait to see what happens next!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

Poor Spike. How is Spike going to get away from Xander.

Please update soon.

This story is just chilling. Can't wait for the next chapter, and to get Spike AWAY from Xander.

Responding to those who want to write Buffy's actions off as a 'mistake': It is certainly the case that Buffy isn't being malicious here -- but I don't see how that lets her off the hook. It's not conceivable to me that if the severely abused party had been any of the people she really loves -- Dawn, Willow, Giles, or Xander -- that she would have thought of putting the badly abused, and not-hardly recovered person alone in a room with the person who almost certainly did the abuse. I just don't see how she could have done that to anyone she really cared about. So for me, if we are going to go with this story at all, we have to conclude that Buffy has just been giving lip service to the claim that she cares about Spike and wants to protect him/help him. Deep down, she still doesn't fully think of Spike as a PERSON who has feelings. Now, admittedly, I think this whole plot is a stretch here -- because I think the author has been trying to show Buffy as having at least some more concern for Spike than that. And I suppose we could say that her love for Xander clouded her judgement here -- but that just means that when push comes to shove, she cares far more for Xander than she does for Spike. And that led to a culpable error in judgment on her part. (And for me, it also makes a Spuffy ending really not very attractive -- though that's normally what I want... but we'll see how DoS works that all out!)

Please more more more more more! I love this story!

Eeeee. I want to know what happens next! I'm very interested to see how Spike handles himself, and what the heck Buffy's going to do when he comes back - if she and Angel don't end up having it out first! I thought you made Anya respond vvvvverrrrry well, it seemed extremely true to form. Anya throughout this story has been especially well developed, imo...I really feel for her. Keep up the great work, can't wait for the next chapter!

Like I said before, I hope Spike drains him...dry (or turn him and stake him just for fun!) nobody would blame him, and it would feel so good!!! An d probably help Spike become a bit more himself... but poor sweetie, he is so terrified. Maybe seeing what Xander did to Anya will make him react...

So that is where inner rage goes~ Xander is really off the deep end. Interesting way he treated his ex, and so nice to see Spike getting his balls back a bit, as he went to protect Anya. Very nice to see Spike as ever the thoughtful one. And poor Angel is going to blow a gasket-- it will be itneresting to see what Buffy does with her guilt.

Omg. Spike! Xander's such a bastard. God, Spike's got to realize he can save himself.

AriannaI can certainly see the reservation you have as to why people are coming down on Buffy on that issue. Speaking for myself, I feel that Buffy was wrong to demand what she did for a few reasons.

First, she was the one to claim that Xander did it to Angel and Giles when Xander slipped and gave away too much info - not that Angel needed convincing. If she still harbored doubts, it would have been better to keep her thoughts to herself until she could get concrete proof, or perhaps share them with Giles and work with him to devise a sensible way to obtain objective evidence that would clear or condemn Xander. Anya would have been of help too.
Instead, she comes up with this crazy plan and apparently Giles and Angel were tied up in the basement while she was concocting this disaster waiting to happen. But seriously, I can imagine both she and perhaps even Giles to some extent walking into this with the Xander they know and love in mind, forgetting that they were also dealing with the person who possibly did all of those cruel things to a helpless vampire. Anya's perspective would have been helpful if they didn't simply see her as a scorned lover. Has Buffy so quickly forgotten the extent of Spike's injuries? Does she not remember her outrage the night she found him and tended his wounds? The monster who did that is who they were dealing with, not her old buddy from high school. Spike is certainly not innocent but he was helpless and his helplessness, she at the very least, strongly suspected was also due to Xander's doing. Buffy should have checked the plan.
As a general of sorts, it should be second nature to her to trouble shoot her plans to make sure there is no room for error. There was no rush, only her personal agenda. Considering the fates of two people she loves are at risk, it was worth it to take the time to run through the plan and really listen to the input of others as to whether it would work and if it was time.

Second, ignoring the fact that Spike told her who tortured him because I suppose in the grand scheme of things, Spike's word means far less to her than Xander's. But my issue is what was the big rush? Spike had just regained his memories, relearned he was a vamp, and was still quite shaken by much of their past not to mention still healing from his last encounter with Xander in Dawn's room. Was it really necessary to execute this plan right now? Spike needs to regain his confidence and feel empowered - why not spend some time training and sparring with him, slowly at first of course to help him regain that side of himself. Spike still flinches any time anyone takes a seemingly sudden or threatening move towards him. Buffy and Angel could have helped him so much by starting some kind of self-defense with him. My point here though is that Spike wasn't ready to face Xander. I can't help but wonder if she would have been in such a rush if the roles were reversed and it was Xander who had been tortured. What am I saying? Buffy wouldn't even need proof in that case and Spike would have been dust in the first chapter but assuming she did want proof, would she have forced Xander to face Spike while merely hearing the doorbell rin g had Xander shaking in his boots? Unlikely. Buffy's proof could have waited. She claims to love Spike, his wellbing should come first. Give him more time to heal both physically and otherwise.

Anyway, so for my part, I have a huge problem with Buffy's plan because she risked two people without considering the consequences. Spike, who only went along with it to please her despite his fear could end up shot in the head again if Xander has his way and Xander who very well may not survive at all. That is the risk that Buffy took with no back up plan or thought of contingencies and for that I have came down on her. Sure the others could have intervened more strongly but they voiced their objections, in fact, Dawn had to be physically removed. If I recall that chapter, short of getting into a brawl with Buffy or grabbing Spike and running with him, little would have stopped her from carrying this out.

loved it lots and lots.