Reviewer: Inara Signed 
Date: 02/22/2012
Title: Chapter 35: Homecoming, Housewarming
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.
