Such touching, tender moments, hon. Just beautiful. I can just see Dawn's big blue eyes filled with tears as she sees her sister for the first time. And the moment with Spike and Dawn is so reminiscent of family. It just warms the cockles of my little heart to see Spike cared for. It is also heart-warming to see Tara as such an important part of this story. I felt she was so under-used and under-valued her entire time on BtVS. You have really allowed her character room to bloom in this story. I have to say, I love the way you write Dawn - full of colt-like energy, tempered by a millenia's worth of existence, with a healthy dose of teenage attitude/angst. Absolutely perfect. I also adored the fact that Buffy grabbed for Dawn, instead of being hesitant or shying away like she was with Spike and Tara. It is as if they just picked up right where they left off on the tower. I'm intrigued to see where you have Buffy returning from, whether it be heaven, hell, or an alternate dimension. I wonder what Spike's guess is. His feeling of something dark looming on the horizon is very consistant with his perceptive nature. It will be interesting to see just how much of Spike's perceptions are validated over time. Lovely chapter, again. In my opinion, you have nothing to be anxious about. Your writing, as usual, is gold.

Sweet goddess above...this is just tantric