Poor William! No matter what he said his mother knew he didn't mean it. Can't wait to read more!

Author's Response: Hi PhotographyNut! : ) *sad face* Yeah, that's what sucks, when kids think their parents will never forgive them for saying something cruel. Unfortunately, poor Spike has yet to realize this. : ( Thanks for sharing your thoughts and for leaving a review! I'm SO glad you're enjoying this! *hugs*

holy shit...ok, where to start, i'll begin at the end. What a traumatic thing for someone so young to have to endure, and the self-hatred while understandable and all too human is such a cross to bare for such a long time. i think that's almost everyone's worst fear, the very reason we're told not to go to bed angry at someone...
As for Buffy and the Othello bit, i enjoyed it, and sadly people are still trusting the wrong people today, it's a virtue and a stupidity. To wish that the good you see in someone really exists but to know it always isn't the case, i'm sure we've all been backstabbed at some point but i like to believe we let it happen more than once because there are good people out there, they're just harder to find.
I love how you have portrayed Snider, i really violently dislike him lol, giant snake death was too good for him!
I love that Buffy touched on her feelings and her fears for/of Spike, it adds a very human quality to her that was in no way missing but adds to her development none the less.
I truly cannot wait to read more, i'm ensnared lol!
xx
L.

Author's Response: Heya Lindsay! = ) OMG Your review is SO awesome! Ah, let me respond to every comment and area you addressed, as I'm excited to be able to discuss my work with a reader! : ) Yes, I completely concur that Spike's experience is one that probably happens too often. Your all too accurate analogy of "never going to bed angry" which I've heard as an adage used years ago as well, is completely fitting. It's truly refreshing to hear your take on the Buffy and Othello bit. I was wondering how well that would go over, as I did have a reader(s) who was somewhat doubtful about this particular stage in character development, but alas, I am met with approval! : ) Othello is an old favorite of mine, because it portrays exactly what you've so aptly described; "to wish that the good you see in someone really exists, but know it always isn't the case". Indeed, indeed. Truer words were never spoken, and this is unfortunate, for it would be a much better world if we could all simply trust in each other, wouldn't it? : ( LOL I *hated* Snyder in season 3 (or whichever one he came on for) but I definitely agree, he totally had the snake death coming! : P His character was all too judgmental. It's curious though, in a sense, that he and Buffy are *somewhat* alike. I mean, they both only see black and white, right? They don't *really* see the greyer shades of life. Buffy sees vampires w/o a soul as incapable of loving, and Snyder sees Buffy as a delinquent, nothing more, refusing to believe she is capable of academic achievement, as Flutie may have possible implied. Aw thanks for your kind comments about Buffy's development. I agree all too well that perhaps if the show had humanized her more, we, the audience, may have been able to empathize slightly. But she was so closed off, even to us, that we weren't able to see past that. Wow, all of these comments were truly remarkable and I'm sincerely glad that you decided to post them. I appreciate the time you took to write and I truly enjoy you continue to enjoy the story. I'll do my best with chapter 9 and hopefully, it will live up to expectations. : )

Happy to see you back. Sorry about real life. I'm really enjoying this story and am curious as to where it is going. I like the characterizations of Buffy and Spike in particular.

Author's Response: Hi Marta. : ) Aw, thanks for your kind wishes and comments! I'm glad you're able to understand Spike/Buffy better now, I was anticipating this chapter would help definite Spike's character better, guess it worked! : P Thanks again for your review and I hope you continue to enjoy! : )