Opening with the image of a woman rappelling down into the crater grabbed me and this Prologue never let me go.

I love this vivid, apt description: Invariably, he’d catch himself studying her instead; but furtively, a field mouse studying an eagle. The girl’s small body was a lie, he realized. She was like an athlete of some obscure sport, a network of lean muscle that seemed sculpted out of iron and misery. Rialdo has somehow sniffed out Buffy's slayer essence: Distilled loss and grief and violence.

This is incredibly powerful: They hadn’t seen him die. Not actually. They saw it in his eyes, heard it in his voice, for sure. Since then, the old African wraith had gradually abandoned her too, draining into the narrowest corners of her soul. She could still feel its seething company, but it was a remote, alien presence now; a knot of spiderwebs and black ice and nerves gone dead. It’d gone mad with grief at the theft of its lover, the unlikely kindred spirit who wore a bleach blonde vampire like a cheap suit. Magic and grief and anger seem to have burned through Buffy leaving nothing but loss in their wake.

This was gorgeous: She kept gasping him in, awestruck. Half afraid that she might choke on him, or worse, use him all up. The tattered leather seemed to magically shine itself in her fingers. It took several minutes before she realized she was crying. The coat coming clean under tears she doesn't know she's shedding is a powerful, emotional image.

I'm left wondering if Giles knows Spike has returned and sent Buffy on this mission anyway.

This is a breathtaking beginning.

This re-read is going to take some time because I need to savor the chapters.

Author's Response: Thanks BP. You always write such thoughtful and awesome reviews. I've missed that quite a bit, actually. I often looked back on your reviews while rewriting this, actually, especially when I wasn't sure if a line worked and was considering dropping or changing it. I think there have been three lines that you rescued alone!

I'm sobbing... this was heartwrenchingly beautiful!

Author's Response: Awwww... Thanks!

Oh...she went back for him....and breathed in his dust. Headed to the next chapter :)

Someone rec'd this story on Live Journal; wow! This is wonderful! Absolutely gorgeous storytelling. Your Buffy "voice" is perfect; just the right tone and vocabulary. Very nice.

So glad I clicked on the link!

Author's Response: Thanks zanthine! I wish I could thank whoever rec'd me on Live Journal too, but I don't know how to use it.

I don't have the words to tell you exactly how brilliant this is. i can't wait to read more.

Lovely start! Very visual and emotional as well. Off to continue reading.

Kathleen

I have read the summary for this fic several times but did not go in to read. Boy, I had no idea what I was missing. This first chapter is so wonderfully poignent. I look forward to the rest of your story and since you had a great time writing it I can only assume I am going to have a great time reading it!

Author's Response: Thanks, Dee. It's gonna get a little twisted from here on out. Let me know how I'm doing from to time. It's my first fan fic, so be gentle (But not 'too' gentle) (-: