And so it goes with them that they share a special language that says so much through touch. When all goes wrong, that connection always seems to be what pulls them back. So very poetic, and I now understand how they arrived at the place where they arrived next chapter. Though it would seem that Dru and all the friends in her head may very well be waiting for them. Kinda glad to see a bit more of Billy, even if he is egging Dru on. Think it would kinda be cool for there to be a curtain call at the end of this one, all Broadway style with a group bow, perhaps? Don't rightly know why that just flashed in my head, but what can you do? Think maybe some of these changes have placed those two on more even ground. Amazing chapter. :)

Author's Response: That must have been very confusing to read the following chapter before reading this one. Hey, I'm with you on the curtain call! Maybe Dru's head is big enough to fit everyone. I think George deserves a bow, and Mary Dunn. (And Stinky Stan!)

So glad you gave Oscar a nice send off and didn't kill him. That would be just too sad.

Charming chapter. Looking forward to Buffy & William arriving at the Sunnydale hellmouth and I assume a cnfrontation with Dru and the Shining Man.

Author's Response: It's weird when I look at my old notes on the last few chapters and I have Dru killing Oscar. So glad I took it another way. Not to say Dru is toothless, by any means!

Yay, Billy is back!! Well, not entirely, but I'll take what I can get. ;)

The moment between Buffy and William was beautiful, and what Buffy said about them changing and growing and not being frozen in time was so true. It shows that their marriage can be sustained as long as they choose to grow and change together instead of apart. The bath sexy time was SO hot, yet so intimate and important in regards of them finding their way towards each other again. As I said before, it was beautiful! :)

Author's Response: It was my comfort when I killed him off. Knowing that, with Dru's head, nobody's ever really gone for good! Thanks EoR!

Oh, poor, dear William! I'm glad to know that Dru and Billy didn't do anything untoward to him. Thank goodness Buffy took the initiative and helped him begin to open up and heal a little bit. Hope they can do that talky thing and help him put some of it behind him. More tears in this one - always appreciate tears.

Author's Response: Oh! I'm glad tears aren't a bad thing! It's challenging to have Buffy grow in believable ways

Awe!!! The return of Billiam? Wuffy? I don't know. *shrugs* But, I DO KNOW that this chapter felt like coming home!! It was such a nice, quiet moment for the two heroes as they found (are finding?) their way to one another. I loved it. The whole time I just kept thinking 'there he is'. This was the return of the William we had at the end of 'Yours William'. True - they found a connection through a truly dirty conversation topic, but hey - that's just how they roll! I loved it. Everything came full circle.

Honestly, throughout the whole chapter I could feel myself calming down after the excitement of the last. I felt the characters gaining their equilibrium back and have hope that they can get back to where they were before the memory-wipe.

Although - I have to say - I soooo don't trust you! ;-) What calamity will befall them now!? Are we going to see a reappearance of Warren? Will they finally be able to settle down in Napa? A slayer with a vineyard - I can see it. Oscar would be a great salesman! Ha Ha! Can't wait to see if our favorite couple finally gets the answers to who, what, and why? I guess... they already know the when and where... *wink*

Thanks again for the great story. And once again, I can't wait for the next update!

Author's Response: It was a very big change of pace from some of the action, huh? This one was a bit sweet, but we all need sugar now n then. I don't know what to tell you about trusting me! I can tell you this. I'm almost positive it will go to 39 chapters. ~~ I do like your ideas about Oscar representing their winery. ~~ I posted again today, but not sure if any of your speculations will really be answered. Chapter 37 is going to answer a bunch for sure tho! Thanks again for your feedback and enthusiasm Inara. BTW, did you see that Joss visited a bunch of fans at comicon in San Diego? At 2 in the morning, a bunch of people were camping out all night in the rain for the Firefly panel and JOSS came down, waking people up and taking photos with him. :) How much do you love him?

This chapter was melancholy, heart wrenching, sweet, hopeful and funny all at once. I enjoyed every single line so damn much!! Loved how Buffy stepped back when necessary and was there to give William something he didn't know he needed. *happy sigh*

Absolutely amazing and the word whirligigs was a cherry on top of this delicious greatness. :D Also, thanks lots and lots for the recipe!! I'll have to try it out because it's over 100 degrees here and I'm melting.

Author's Response: Thanks EoR. This was one of those chapters that I suppose I was never gonna like. Glad you found some good stuff in it. I hope to like it better one day!

Oh, lots of tears in this one! Brilliant! Love how hard Buffy tried and that she finally succeeded in getting back to 'them'. Poor William! He's certainly been changed, though - scarred forever, on the inside if not the outside. You have to wonder what other nasties Dru might've done to him, esp since William doesn't want to let Buffy see him naked. {{cuddles William}} and cheers Buffy's efforts on.

Author's Response: Thanks. I don't know when I had a harder time with a chapter and I still am unhappy with it, but perhaps some chapters are like that?

More chapters is better, I say! :D And this one was so freaking gooood... although I'm very much on the fence about Billy dying because I loved his character A LOT, it's also amazing that William managed to overpower him, as beaten as he was. But that's him, beating the odds as he always does. :) The tension in this chapter was incredible and I can't wait to read more!!!

Author's Response: Thanks EoR. As excited as I was to write the duel scene, for some reason it was a chapter that wouldn't "stick" and I kept doing major rewrites daily. I'll never understand the trick to this writing thing! Anyway, yeah, I'm right with ya on being sad a losing Billy! :( What I really wanted was a conversation between Billy and Oscar! *sigh*

Oh, William... such a stalwart! Thank you for letting him have that kill, even if it was at the expense of Billy the Vamp. :-)

Author's Response: Thanks Miss Scarlett. I was terribly proud of William too!

Hooray for William! He definitely does have a lion's heart! We all know it's been in there the whole time, just waiting for someone to allow him to show it. I agree that he definitely deserved the honor of beating Billy the Kid in the duel - he earned it. I hope he and Buffy can heal now - she has some talking to do, I think. Soooo ... now the question becomes, what will Dru do next?

Author's Response: Hey P4S. After that last chapter, I kind of want to curl up with pina colada. Or mmaybe it's the heat? Anyway....wrapping this baby up soon. Thanks for the feedback!

William the bloody awful poet out dueled Billy the Kid. And there in lies a special kind of poetry. He's back with his girl, and though Dru is out there, she's one man down and a few slices short of a bread box. Think they may be okay after all. And I love Oscar and his support of hyperbole, even though I can pretty much guarantee he has no idea what a jedi is. :) A pretty fantastic moment. Got to hope they get just a few more. After all, William the Lion Hearted does not know how not to try... Update soon, however many chapters this runs into. :)

Author's Response: Thanks BuffyRat. It was a really fun chapter to share with ya. When the duel popped into my head I wanted to be sure to get it just right. Originally it was set in an old mining town, but it was difficult to get them alone enough for what needed to happen. I was a little sad to see Billy leave, but happy our boy William got to be the hero - using his smarts and not his muscles

Oooh the plot thickens??? William is alive? Hallelujah!!! But, why?? Not complaining, but wasn't turning him Dru's plan? Is she confused cuz she already has a William? What is going on? How traumatized is our poor William going to be? Argh! You must update immediately. I can't wait for the next chapter!!!! *imagine pitiful head slam to table in defeat*

And I loved this part: “Do you always understand everything you say?” - “Yes, but I must listen attentively.” That was pure Oscar! I loved it. I love the dynamic you have for them and I love his pet name for her. Great job... but I MUST have more.

Ugh! It's driving me crazy. What is Dru's plan? (Presuming of course that she has one) AND... he's alive, alive right? You're not just tricking us and he's really a beat up vampire now????? Can't wait for the next installment!!! Thanks again.

Author's Response: Um! The next chapter is written and at the betas! I always have different feelings about the chapters. Some I really look forward to, others I kind of dread. This next one is kind of pivotal and I have been thinking about it for a few months. I hope you like. And I think you're right. William (assuming he's alive and I didn't do that fake out that you think I might have done) would be quite traumatized, I think!

Oh man! You really had me worried that William had been turned and she was gonna find William the Bloody instead! Of course, your reply to my last review has me terribly worried, as well. Apparently, this doesn't end well. I'm on pins and needles now.

I LOVE how you've written Oscar - very witty! Awesome job!! I guess they don't have any codes for punctuation on telegrams, huh? Do they use Morse code or what for telegrams? Hmmm ... I guess I don't know how those worked back then.

Another wonderful chapter which had me holding my breath nearly the whole time.

Author's Response: P4S - Well, not to say it doesn't end well! Sorry about that. It's that ... people complained about how "Yours, Wtilliam" ended and they'll complain about this too. That's ok. I do think most people will be satisfied by the conclusion and that's all I can say without spoiling. I'm so happy you like Oscar. I admit, while writing this I've watched every Oscar thing I can find on netflix and youtube. The man was a joy, albeit a tragic one. Thanks so much for the feedback.