Set your life more easy take the loan and all you want.

GAHHHH! I knew right away that angel wasn't taking spike back to buffy's house, but i didn't expect them to go back to LA! while it totally makes sense that things need to be sorted out, i'm sort of hurting for buffy right now, which is rare. great twist, (and xander surviving!) ... write soon.

were there bullets in the gun? it'd be very unlikely for a hangun to be stored in a home while loaded so i guess we'll wait and see. i really loved spike's noble gestures and that willow came back to the real world so realistically. i love this story so much it's ridiculous.

I gotta go with Stev52 on this one I agree with alot that was said and it does seem like when the chips are down Buffy always gets blamed. But the thing is how many times have we been shown that most of Buffys world has been black and white good and evil this has been ingrained in her since she was called to be the slayer people good demons bad. Even though Spike is an exception that doesnt mean shes automatically gonna change her outlook on things especially when its her friend. As for the plan going wrong people do make mistakes and Buffy really thought that she could protect Spike I mean really who the hell thought Xander was smart enough to get Willow to give him spells I mean really lol. But She really though she could protect him from a human I mean really she is the slayer.

i just loved seeing spike get nis rocks back...and the tables turning. i'm interested to see how you write dark willow (even if it's only for a bit), as i was unimpressed at how the writers took her on the show. great work, can't wait for another update.

OMG this story is sooooooooo good!! I really enjoyed this chapter and totally cant wait for you to post the next one!!

I'm also with you, A, and Abbyland, too.

Despite what Buffy professed...and she doesn't say "I love you" in canon without meaning it, never did.....her deep-seated thoughts about the vampire and her friend still won out. And while a party wronged should try to forgive for their own emotional sake, so they can move on, some mistakes cannot be forgotten. I'd like to see this Spike, as he becomes more aware of himself, to say, "I do love you, Buffy, but I don't trust you, so I can't stay here." Because we all know if you give Buffy an inch, she'll take a mile. If Spike doesn't call her on this behavior, she'll do it again......she'll break his trust. Especially since his current mindset is still like a child's.....until he recovers "Spike", he's incredibly vulnerable to the world.

I really don't get why she had to push to do it now, to do it that day. They had *plenty* of time to wait. Spike could have continued healing while they kept Xander away from him. They had seemed content to not leave Spike alone with any of the suspects before....I guess it was Buffy being "action girl", but it really would have been easier to wait and watch. Poor Spike hadn't even been outside the house, yet! He had so many lessons to learn still........and now.......well, if he doesn't use his vampiric strengths, he's toast.

We can surely bet that if pressed, Xander is unhinged enough right now to unload every bullet in that gun in that room, and depending on the type of handgun, that clip could be holding quite a lot!!!

Oh, and after the irony of Angel's statement "if Buffy had done it", I'd love to see her confess how she treated Spike in their relationship. Dawn and Angel have hints that it wasn't all kisses and roses, from what she's let slip, but no one knows the full story, yet. If Buffy's going to continue being the "moral leader", she needs to acknowledge exactly what she's capable of, and stop letting the others put her on that damn pedestal. Good leaders aren't followed because they have power, they're followed because they make good decisions.

Ooh Buffy feels guilty. NEWSFLASH.
She. should. feel. guilty.
Sorry I feel no sympathy for her I'm with Dawn and Angel. And Willow should not talk. It's her fault, that Xander even had the means to carry out his plan.
Ooh and the whole argument only escalated because Buffy and Willow think they shouldn't harm Xander. That's typical Spike would get the stake but Xander's human I can't hurt him. It's time for a wake up call. Why can't the slayer hurt a human, of course she can. She had never problems pummeling Willie to the ground. No she just doesn't want to like Dawn said because it's Xander.

I'm out for this one too. I do look forward to your next story though, to see if it's more to my taste. But with this one, I can already imagine the next 10 chapters involving Buffy having to grovel before Angel and Dawn because somehow she's the only one who wasn't concerned with Spike's safety, which I just couldn't buy in the first place. Oh, and then I'm betting she'll have to regain Spike's trust again because she's such a monster. I like your writing, but it's so hard reading about how Buffy's always wrong, always the selfish one, and always the one who needs to learn, while Dawn, Tara, Angel (and even Anya this time???) are so much more sensitive and caring. It's always hard getting through the chapters where you have Buffy confess to Dawn everything that happened between her and Spike, so Dawn can be angry at her. But now it seems like since that's past, they need something new to be upset with her about, hence this plot where Buffy's the only one who decides it's a good idea to put Spike in danger.

Author's Response: well, it never pays to assume you know where a fic is going, and buffy's not a monster, but she *does* have her flaws, selfishness tending to be one of them....and when it comes to spike, she always seemed to be hardened to him, where dawn, tara, anya, never were... quit now if you choose to, but the story is mine and i will complete the path i've taken it down so far...

i knew this wouldn't go well! while i understand buffy's need for 100% proof in the situation, she really should be putting spike's needs first. if willow wouldn't have believed it, then eff her too. oh no.

great story! cant wait for more!

This is a rare moment but for Spike's sake I am so glad Angel is sticking around because Buffy is so blind to RIley and Xander's potential guilt that Angel will probably be the one to figure it out, unless by some miracle Buffy stumbles upon it. I love Buffy but she really is not the brains of the operation. What am I saying? Dawn will probably figure it out while Angel and Buffy battle over who has rights over Spike and get herself kidnapped in the process! Can't wait for what lies ahead.

A great story. Can´t wait for the next update . I hope Spike will be his old self at the end of the story.