Thank heavens...you really had me going there for awhile thinking that Buffy was going to be all pigheaded and refuse to believe that Spike really had changed and that she is totally, butt-crazy in love with him. Really, really happy with this chapter and yes, Dawn's father is hot!! :)~

Seriously, I am waiting on pins and needles to read about the Scoobies reaction to Buffy refusing help from the Council of Wankers.

The Spike and Dawn interaction was delightful, as always, and I really loved Spike tracking her down at school. That cafeteria scene was vivid and entertaining, and I laughed out loud at the girl calling Spike Dawn's hot father.

I'm concerned about Spike's money making scheme, as well as passing the cash off as coming from Buffy's father. If Buffy wouldn't like the money's origins, the added duplicity of letting Dawn in on the lie is going to make her angrier still. Oh what a tangled web they weave...

Dawn calling Buffy on letting the Council manipulate her and her undue influence on Spike was wonderful. Dawn sure doesn't mince words, and she has Spike's back. Those hard truths set the stage for a relatively smooth meeting at the crypt, and Buffy offering up her blood, trusting Spike's control was lovely. She's beginning to accept the demon, too.

You built the tension beautifully in the last scene, and I gave a little laugh when "...she threw the photographs of Spike’s handiwork into her Watcher’s face." Buffy just throwing the Council's proposal back in the Scoobies' self righteous faces was wonderful. She's an adult, capable of making her own decisions, and right or wrong it's really none of their business.

Here's hoping she doesn't have to eat crow when Spike's schemes blow up in his face. Thanks for another highly entertaining chapter.

How refreshing to have a conversation between Buffy and Dawn that has a start, middle and end, good reasoning and, oh yeah - no tantrums of the repetitive kind (get out, get out GET OUT!). Dawn made sense and Buffy listened.

This Slayer who listens and doesn't run was also present and correct in Spike's crypt - and again she listened and, more importantly, she heard him.

So she saved her quick-tempered and very effective put-down for the over-presumptive Scoobies and Giles. The photographs he had given her, to wound and shock her into rejecting Spike were flung in his face. Right back at you, Watcher.

Bit worried about the origins of the Spike money, though ...... I just know this is going to backfire on him, at some point.

Fabulous! I always manage to lose the reviews I type up for you, so I'm going to be brief and to the point by saying I love every SINGLE update of this fic, and I am always waiting for more! I especially loved when at the end Buffy was so nervous-- you really captured that emotion very well with a few choice words. :) And I'm so happy to see her doing what she WANTS, not what is expected of her--not merely in defiance, but because she realizes that she's a woman who has needs! Poor Spike.. OOMG and the scene! With the thumb! I had absolutely no idea what Buffy was going to do and it was just... So very creative, so very imaginative... Sexy, too! :) Loved it. LOVED it. This fic is, like I've said before, my favorite EVER. :) Can't wait for more!

YAY!!! Go Buffy!!! Took her long enough to see the vampire and man Spike is. I hope she doesn't do anything to hurt him. Hopefully she'll make it through the aggravating Scooby intervention and curse them all out for their biased ways. Can't wait for more!!!

Author's Response: lol. I agree - it is about time she truly accepted Spike for the man he was and the vampire he is. Thanks for the review. :-D

Sweet!*

“Tell the Council I don’t like being propositioned.”

Or...

'You're are going to have to do better than that.'

take that watcher boy. :)

Author's Response: lol. Isn't it nice to see her growing a spine? Thanks for reviewing. :-D

Oh that was good.

Author's Response: Thank you!

Hell yeah! Yes, go Buffy! Ha, thank you for writing that! More please =D

Author's Response: Thank *you* for reading and reviewing it. I really appreciate that. :-D

aaaah! a fabulous angsty chapter! i loved the glimpse of possessive-spike in william. and buffy has every reason to be freaked by his violence. :( also nice cliffhanger with the mysterious employer.
i like the complexity of this story. it's not just a buffy realizes spike is sexy and all ends well. the characterizations and plot continue to be gripping.
nice work!
- q (aka sus)

Author's Response: Thank you! One of the most enjoyable things about writing this story is expanding Spike's past and exploring his character -- not just as a vampire, but as a man as well. It's wonderful to know that I'm doing a good job with it. Thanks so much for taking the time to review. :-D

Mirroring William's actions in the flashback with his actions now was lovely. It shows that the caring and desire to keep Buffy safe has been in him from the moment he first laid eyes on her. Their encounter in the past smacks of destiny.

I wondered what Giles was thinking during the financial meeting, and you answered the question and showed how much Giles cares for Buffy . The facts of Spike's violent past are often glossed over in fan fic, and Giles isn't throwing them in Buffy's face to be cruel. He really has cause for deep concern.

Buffy's "[t]hose were not the actions of a sane person..." makes me hope she realizes what it was that drove Spike mad for all those years. If they are to be together, she needs to face these actions full on. Maybe Giles did her a favor.

This was another sharply written, emotional chapter. Buffy and Spike are three dimensional, thought provoking characters, and though they act from an emotional center, you never have them acting out of character for the people you've drawn. It's wonderful to read.



Author's Response: Want to know a secret? One of the reasons I chose to revisit the past is because I just missed William so much. lol. I know that sounds crazy, but I had such a good time writing him; he was so earnest, so innocent. Yet, Spike is still fundamentally the same as he was then -- still determined to take care of Buffy. The fact is, he can't always protect her from the harshness of adult life, and eventually he will have to accept that. Thanks for the review! :-D

You know, I love Giles, I do. But....it's so hard to even 'like' him, when he's pitted against Spike like this. Same as in season 7 of Buffy with the whole Principle Wood thing. There's all this...so called, logic, on why Spike & Buffy shouldn't be together. But, people forget love defies all 'logic'.

LOVE this chapter, as I do them all. Please update ASAP!!

Author's Response: The thing about Giles is that he genuinely believes he is doing the right thing ... that he is working in her best interests. He doesn't realize that Buffy is now an adult and capable of making her own decisions. He also refuses to take into account the extinuating circumstances. To him, Spike is nothing but a monster; he refuses to see the man lurking underneath. But you're right ... all of this doesn't make it easy to like him. Thanks for the review. :-D

Is it possible to have fandom chest pain? Cause I'm feeling for everyone at this point for everyone is gonna have a hard time after this I wil keep up the daith and Spuffy love!

Author's Response: Yep, just keep the faith. This story is listed as angst and romance ... but I'm a romantic at heart. Just keep that in mind. Thanks for the review. :-D