1. Prologue and Chapter 1 by Lillaryn [Reviews - 5] (1032 words)
Hi all! Long time lurker, first time poster. Finally had an idea I wanted to put to paper, and I hope you like it. This work is unbeta'd, and does take some info/dialogue from School Hard. We start at that ep and go very AU. Come along for the ride!

2. Chapter 2 by Lillaryn [Reviews - 2] (1002 words)
The plot thickens! We meet the 'Lost Aurelian' and Spike and Buffy meet. A few lines I 'knicked from School Hard, you'll know it when you see it. No infringement intended.

3. Chapter 3 by Lillaryn [Reviews - 1] (1201 words)
Now we throw Angel into the mix. Shouldn't be much more than googley eyes with Buffy/Angel, but we will see some of his overbearing streak. This story will be all Spuffy, don't worry. Just need to stir things up some more. Hope the subtle hints I dropped will be enough to whet your appetite for now :)

4. Chapter 4 by Lillaryn [Reviews - 3] (1104 words)
When we left off, Angel had gone to find Giles, leaving Buffy at the mercy of Spike and Ellie. Buffy agrees to play nice, and off we go again!

5. Chapter 5 by Lillaryn [Reviews - 3] (1276 words)
Now we get to hear Ellie's story. All you new Ellie fans out there, enjoy!

6. Chapter 6 by Lillaryn [Reviews - 3] (1256 words)
We finish what was started in chapter 5, as well as run smack back in to our bumbling search party. Off we go!

7. Chapter 7 by Lillaryn [Reviews - 2] (1229 words)
Buffy meets with the Scoobies, Angel, and Giles to further her quest for a decision. With the promise of a bit of redemption, Angel is close to a decision of his own.

8. Chapter 8 by Lillaryn [Reviews - 2] (1117 words)
In this chapter, we take some time with Spike and Dru. Ellie and Buffy meet and chat, and Angel has made his decision. Giles is making with the research...what will he find?

9. Chapter 9 by Lillaryn [Reviews - 2] (1530 words)
Warning...I say warning! I finally live up to my NC-17 rating in this chapter, and I hope I don't disappoint. I've NEVER written smut before, so I hope it doesn't suck.



As we visit many of the main characters, Ellie decides to cause a bit of pre-ritual trouble...

10. Chapter 10 by Lillaryn [Reviews - 1] (1018 words)
Nothing really racy in this one, I'm sad to admit. There WILL be more Spuffy lovin, but they aren't quite ready for anything yet. Will and Buffy talk, Spike broods again (LOL) and Angel and Buffy make some realizations that just kinda came about as I was writing. Stay tuned, the ritual is FINALLY next chapter.

11. Chapter 11 by Lillaryn [Reviews - 3] (1210 words)
Now we FINALLY get to the ritual, and guess what kiddos? The true Big Bad is revealed! Not like you didn't know it was coming, but still, I hope the way I did it was interesting and original.

12. Chapter 12 by Lillaryn [Reviews - 1] (1085 words)
Not too sure about this chapter. An old friend makes an appearance, and I set up a little Spuffy love for the next chapter. Explanations are made, and we check in with Angelus :) Enjoy and please review!

13. Chapter 13 by Lillaryn [Reviews - 1] (1047 words)
Now we're going to have some fun. Buffy surprises Spike at the end of a nice little chat. (Finally.) Angelus is being a naughty boy and Dru is hot on his heels. Enjoy!



(This may be my only update today as it's time to clean house, and mine is a wreck.)

14. Chapter 14 by Lillaryn [Reviews - 2] (1096 words)
Ok guys, this one was a toughie. There WILL be some torture in this, so PLEASE read at your own risk. For the overview, we check in on our witch trio, Angelus does something naughty, and most of the gang is brought together again by something terrible and sad. No character deaths...but it was still hard to write.

15. Chapter 15 by Lillaryn [Reviews - 1] (1214 words)
Ok, this chapter is sort of filler. We have very quick Spuffy moment, but this is mostly about getting Ellie set up to heal. I foreshadow two confrontations for the next chapter.



Super wiped tonight, so if there are glaring flaws, lemme know and I'll fix em. Thanks again for reading.

16. Chapter 16 by Lillaryn [Reviews - 1] (1143 words)
Not so sure about this one. I think it came out ok, but please let me know. I'm going to be busy this week with several appointments, so I'll get as much written as I can.

In this chapter, we let Joyce in on Buffy's secret life, and we see what Whistler has to say.

17. Chapter 17 by Lillaryn [Reviews - 3] (1157 words)
This one was kinda fun to write. I'm still working on getting a beta, so changes to earlier chapters are on the horizon. Sometime this weekend, I'll hopefully have some edited chapters to share with you.

We hear what everyone thinks about Whistler's ultimatum, and Buffy and Spike have one of their famous 'porch-chats.'

18. Chapter 18 by Lillaryn [Reviews - 2] (1034 words)
I hope you'll get a kick out of this chapter. A famous event from Season 4 is twisted and revisited to my liking.

Might be one more update today, but I'm getting to the point where I need some thinking time to plan out more of the story. It's been flowing pretty well up until now, but I'm really toying with a couple decisions that I'd like more time to process.

19. Chapter 19 by Lillaryn [Reviews - 1] (1123 words)
This one again has a bit of torture at the end. It will be in italics, so if that bothers you, you can skip that part. Just know it's not pretty, and Angelus is at the fore along with two mysterious figures, one male and one female.

We have a nice little Spuffy scene before things take a turn for the worse. Enjoy!

20. Chapter 20 by Lillaryn [Reviews - 1] (1300 words)
So sorry for the lack of updates yesterday. There will only be one chapter today, and most likely one a day or every other day from now on. With my internet reconnected, I have access once again to my favorite hobby, gaming.



I will NOT abandon this story. We're almost done, and I really want to finish it. Then the editing process will begin. (WTB Beta-reader, PST)



Thanks again for reading and enjoying!

21. Chapter 21 by Lillaryn [Reviews - 1] (1041 words)
Sorry it's been so long, I hope that you all will enjoy this chapter.