Awesome! You've done spuffy a great service, and I cannot wait to read what you next come up with. :)

Author's Response: Well, I've got a one-shot here as well, and another fic that for convenience's sake will probably only be up at fanfiction.net/~peaceheather, and at Elysian Fields. It's called A Gift Unsought and the first chapter just went up today. Maybe you can check that out if you're interested. Many thanks!

Okay. That was a FANTASTIC fic. I just read that puppy straight through. I couldn't put it down (so to speak). There were so many things that I loved about it, I'm not sure I'll be able to get it all down.

In no particular order:

1) My impression of Xander from the show, as well as being swayed by fics that either make him the "heart" of the group or the villain, is that he's basically a good guy who always lets prejudice (great point about Jesse) and jealousies (always agree with fics that point out he put Buffy on a pedestal) get in the way of become a great guy. I basically, always love Xander, but wish that he could do better and when I read the fics that make him grow up and become that guy we always know he has the potential to be, it just makes the Spuffy fic world we live in so much better. That we can not only have Spuffy, but a world where her friends all accept her decisions is wonderful. I LOVED the fact that you allowed Xander to be catalyst for Buffy to find inner peace.

2) I love Season 5 of the show and Season 6 - cuz, can we say "naked Spike?!" Of course, then I always enjoy Season 7 because the Spuffy finally gets to a healthy place. So, as you can imagine, I watch episodes from these seasons often, and they always, always break my heart when Giles acts like a total ass. I love watching "Lies My Parents Told me" for the adorable William-ness of the episode, but hate Giles. I hate hating Giles. I felt betrayed by him - so was happy to see a fic where he gets majorly dropped by the Buffster. I'm glad you made it so that he couldn't infringe upon their happiness. it always bugged me that even after everything that happened in Season 7, he still refused to help with Fred and probably did not in fact tell Buffy that Spike was alive. So thank you so much for making sure he got what he deserved.

Sorry, this is turning out to be super long!!

3) One thing that always impressed me about Joss was that I always enjoyed his bad guys. The Mayor with his cheerful politeness was always a laugh riot, Spike the Slayer of Slayers who could never see a plan through, Angelus being such a deeper and richer character than Angel could ever be, and so on and so on. Figg was excellent. I felt terrible for him. This poor little sheep demon waiting for his family to come home for a century. Truly heart-breaking. I mean - bad, bad demon hurting our precious Spike, but sad. I love it when you sympathize with the bad guy. He was written beautifully and I was sad that there wasn't a happier resolution for him. Great character.

4) One thing that I thought was purely genius on your part, was the continued discussion of Spike and loneliness. I think you hit the nail on the head with that being a motivating factor for him in his life. Most people touch on the "Love's Bitch" characteristic, but really at the heart of it, is his inability to be alone. Which, to me, goes far beyond the fact that he wants companionship, not just because he never had any friends when he was human, but because it is very much a part of his essential make-up. That was brilliant and I loved how you made him slowly discover that he wasn't alone - that he'd found his family and he wouldn't have to be alone again. It even includes Xander as another Rooster in the Hen House!! Bravo for that!!!

5) Buffy and Spike working out their issues was also perfect. I think you did a phenomenal job with their characterizations and that despite everything, Buffy would still have trouble putting it all out there. It's just so her! Neither one of them believing that the other still wanted them was great and tear-jerking.

Thank you so much for a GREAT, WONDERFUL, PERFECT fic. This is definitely a story that I will re-read, time and time again.

Oh, and by the way, I also really loved how you linked portions of Spike's character to the four elements. The spell was brilliant and I loved how different parts of him came forward when each element was released. Great job.

Thank you so much for sharing this fic with us!!!!!

Author's Response: Buh. I took so long to reply to this because I was busy picking myself up off the floor after your amazing review. I've saved it in my email to read whenever I start to feel down. You blew me away.

Thanks so much for such a terrific response.

Thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed reading your fic. :)

Author's Response: You are most welcome. Thank you for following along.

Glad Spike and Xander worked things out.. Concerned at first with Willow and the push to get Buffy and Giles together..
But the best part of course is Buffy and Spike living next door and it being her idea.
Enjoyed and thanks for the read..

Author's Response: Thanks so much for sticking it out to the end.

This has to be one of my favorite chapters so far. It was light, fluffy, but didn't lack the serious undertones that are so important.

I really had to smile at the part where Spike silently threatens Willow before she arives.

Dawn is just-... Sigh... I love Spike and Dawn. As far as I'm concerned, every story could be about Spike and Dawn. Still Spuffy, but lots and lots of Spike and Dawn. So I'm glad you gave me a great reunion scene with Dawn being Dawn. :)

The part with Willow is interesting. I always felt those two had the potential to become friends and I loved the scenes they had together on the show. But alas, they went a different path. To me, it seems a bit unrealistic that Willow would actually say she'd missed him. I don't think she would, because they weren't close at all in Season 6 and 7. But then again, your version of Willow obviously went through some serious growing, like everyone else in this story. I'd be curious to hear what changed her mind about Spike.

Despite Xander being of no real interest to me (as I've said before), I really like the Jesse explanation. I've heard it before, but not as well done and it does strike me as true. In the entire show, but especially in the early seasons, a lot of things were left unanswered, a lot of issues brought into the show, but never resolved. Xander's reaction to killing his best friend and the consequences is one of those things.

Also, who could ever resist male bonding? Personally, I always find it amusing, even when it's rather serious, as it is here. :P

Haha, reading through the review again makes me realize I've requested a lot of backstory and story developement on minor characters even though you just said you're nearing the ending of the story. I'm not trying to draw it out. Seriously. I'm not. ... :P

Author's Response: Very glad you enjoyed the chapter - what a terrific, in-depth review! Let me address a couple points.

Willow never said *she* missed Spike, only that he was missed. I know, it's splitting hairs, but I thought it would be something she would say. And yeah, I could see them developing a bond - it seemed like whenever they were together on screen there was potential for a greater friendship.

The Jesse thing. I've wanted to write this little vignette, possibly as a stand-alone, almost from the beginning of Distress Signals. It's an idea that my brain would not let go of, and I was thrilled to finally be able to include it here and have it fit reasonably well.

You say you're not trying to draw out this story, but I don't believe you. :)

Cheers!

Buffy asking Spike to move in with her..
And the main core of the Scoobies getting their differences settled..
enjoyed.. waiting for Spike to heal.. been an ordeal it seems..

Author's Response: Broken bones always take awhile to heal, even for vamps and slayers. He's on the mend, just not quite ready to put weight on a broken kneecap when he's in a position to avoid it and let things heal.

Buffy didn't *quite* ask Spike to move in with her. She's just ready to find her own place and there's an added bonus of gaining some privacy for quality alone-time with him.

Good for Buffy - she finally spoke with Willow. I hope you're planning on Giles getting what he deserves from all his machinations concerning Spike’s return. It almost seems like Giles is the evil one now. Thanks for another great update. Looking forward to more soon.

Author's Response: I wouldn't say evil, but he is definitely letting his prejudices get the better of him. This is a story about growing up, at least for Buffy, and while her friends are all growing too, it looks like Giles may be in a holding pattern.

SO glad you liked this update, because it was an absolute bear to write.

I've been very bad not posting comments on a fic that I love so much. It has been heartbreaking to read what they have both had to suffer through but hopefully things are going to get better for them now. I really love and enjoy your writing and I promise to be better about posting reviews in the future. Thanks for sharing this with us. More soon please.

Author's Response: I'm so glad every time I see a reviewer who is delurking for the first time to post their thoughts. It's very flattering, and for that, I thank you! So glad you're enjoying the story.

Been pretty rough on Spike physically since Buffy and Xander rescued him.. and for a while I thought he was going to have to endure a Buffy that was going to be a slave to the feelings of said friends..
Glad to see she has talked to Dawn and see resolute to being with Spike.. for now..
enjoyed

Author's Response: This Buffy may not have realized it yet, but she's already completed the hardest, first step toward independence by walking away from Giles. The other Scoobies will be easier to deal with than she expects. So glad you're enjoying.

This is my absolute favorite fix of the many I am reading at the moment. Love the plot and the gentle, loving relationship between Buffy and Spike. Makes my day whenever I see you've updated. Keep it up.

Author's Response: Wow, badgervamp, that's very kind, thanks! Hopefully my ending is as good as everyting up to this point and I don't come off boring or anticlimactic.

Powerful chapters. Thanks for sharing. :)

Author's Response: You are most welcome.

I so love this slow dance. and the last line was great.

Author's Response: So glad you're enjoying. Thank you.