Yay for NC17 and over-sexed people with superpowers! :) You had me LOLing at :“I’m taking your attempt to decapitate me as a sign that you liked that — not that you were tryin’ to kill me.” Tooo funny! A perfect counter-point to the hotness. I love it when they can talk and joke while in the throes (or soon after) ... so much different than canon. Thanks for the NC17 update!

Author's Response: I'm assuming this will be a popular chapter. lol And it worked, once it was up, the muse snapped to and I've got the next chapter partially written. :)

Thank you for another great chapter. Happy Holidays.

Author's Response: Thanks for reading. And Happy Holidays to you too!

Well something bad had to happen.

Author's Response: Could have been worse, though. At least they all made it out. alive.

Oh, shoot - she still got to Tara and knows Dawn's the Key. But, on the bright side, the hammer hurt her and Buffy knows that now. So, they're hiding in the crypt ... on the bed ... about to kiss. About time for Riley to show up, I guess. :( Look forward to more!

Author's Response: LOL I think you've been peeking.... ;)

A nice feeling chapter.

Author's Response: Thank you. :)

Oh, Spike and Buffy alone in his crypt! That sounds promising!! And oh yes, Spike is a really good kisser ... and if he's that good a kisser, just what else would he excel at??!! C'mon Buffy - dump Riley already.

Author's Response: Dumpage probably on the way....

I can't help but feel sorry for Riley.

Author's Response: Well, yeah, he's being dumped. But in canon he was the dumper, so... :)

Oh darn, Buffy - smack him anyway! Shoot! I really hope *someone* gets to smack Riley before this is over. Loved all the interactions - really loved Xander protesting the removal of the chip! I could totally see that! And of course, Spike would be willing to chance Buffy's scorn if it meant saving her and his other Summers girls.

I understand not wanting to rewrite the whole season and compressing it down. No problem, now that I know that's what we're doing. Can't wait for more.

Author's Response: I'll probably post another chapter tomorrow. A few more chapters, and the archives will be caught up with LJ and DW, and the chapters will go up as I finish them. Thanks for reading!

The one (and perhaps only) time I liked Dawn was when she was hiding in the cave with Spike and being remorseful for putting everyone in danger. I therefore already like your Dawn!

I admit that I was a little confused about Riley being here so close to the deadline for Glory's portal, then, of course, realized that without Spike there pushing everyone's buttons, he hadn't left as he had in canon (I guess that's the reason). The only other slightly confusing thing is the timing of Joyce's surgeries, as in canon they happened a fair time before Glory's deadline (and she'd been dead a fair while before The Gift), and I don't see how Spike leaving would have any real effect on that. I'm sure that I'm being much to literal and anal and it's not enough of a distraction to detract from the story, but it was just something that kept niggling at me as I read. Of course, there is a chance that Giles is wrong about the deadline too.

Anyway, that said, I'm enjoying the story and hope that Spike can kick Riley's ass soon. :P

Author's Response: I'd hoped the "this is pretty AU" in the summary would be enough to let me glide past much of season 5. :) It's not all because Spike left that it's AU - it's just an AU. The spell isn't in effect, the timeline is different, things are more condensed into a few months than a whole season. Riley's still there because, in canon, he was still there when Joyce got sick. The whole Glory thing has just advanced faster than in canon - including her deadline for opening the portal, which, yes, in canon was in late Spring because that's when the season ended. But in my story, her deadline is falling much sooner than that. And Joyce may or may not die. Probably not in this story, anyway. I know I'm playing fast and loose with canon, and I really don't like to do that, usually, but I also have no desire to rewrite the entire season, so some things have been combined or have happened other places (Spike's beatdown from Glory, for instance) and some things are just not going to be here at all. Hope that doesn't throw you out of the story too often. I know it can be annoying...

Poor Spiln, but it shows the others that he's on their side.

Author's Response: It does. More eloquently than Buffy could have if she'd had to convince them without proof.

Poor Spike. And I just gotta say go Xander. I like docs were they get along. I know they haven't became friends yet... But maybe. Thank you for sharing

Author's Response: Most of the time, I like to think they could/would have been sort of friends. Thanks for reading.

I hope that Spike doesn't end up doing something stupid and piss Buffy off. I can't wait to read more. Thank you.

Author's Response: Thank you for reading. :)