ZOMG!! Buffy's enthusiasm about the farmhouse is just brilliant. And again, I must stress how much I LOVE it that you wrote her as, well, human. She's incredibly vulnerable, but not above throwing punches. That, IMO, is what Joss wanted. Not Frosty the Snow Bitch.

Her devastation that Spike might not want her -- might still want Dru -- is just heartbreaking. And Spike needs to get his act together. But I do love it that you're sticking so close to canon. It's refreshing...and it makes me want to hurry even quicker to the next chapter.