Okay, first of all I have to say I read Ashlee's 'Criminal Games' and was worried when I started reading yours that I'd already read it and hated that fact because I was really enjoying it and then!!! It's not the same story! Yay! (Of course it would have helped if I'fd read your note first, but...) Anyway, I love this story and the sexual tension (and other tension) is so perfect so far. Gonna keep reading now. Thank you for posting this one. :-)

Author's Response: Thanks. It's always nice to hear from someone new! Especially since you are just picking it up. And the resemblance to Criminal Games fades pretty fast - although the set up is similar. Hope you enjoy!

Well, I'm happy. Thanks for sticking to your guns and to your story. Please update soon. Thanks. :-)

Author's Response: Thanks hun for reading, reviewing, and understanding. I'll update next weekend on Sunday.

One reviewer said they didn't think Buffy would tell Joyce all of this stuff like that, and in a way I agree that that is a logical thing to think. But I recall my brother a few years ago stayed out late (he was seventeen) and my mom waited up for him to come home which happened at almost three am. He was really drunk and he'd been driving and would have been yelled at except he was really drunk and my mom decided to save the yelling and punishment til next day when he'd understand it better. But my brother was really really loopy with the drink and decided that it would be a good idea to tell my mom everything he did, everything he thought, the whole thing, And when she'd try to get him to go to bed so they could sleep and discuss it fully in the morning he wouldn't do it, he said he needed to get it all out now, while he wanted to say it and just told her EVERYthing. It was funny really and he regretted it the next day. But he'd been loopy and just decided to do a full confessional while loopy. Which is a lot of words to say that the stuff in her system still and the stress of the situation could cause Buffy to suddenly decide to confess things that she wouldn't otherwise even though she might not be so brave under other circumstances. I was sorry Joyce reacted a little more negatively than I would have liked at some points, but I guess she was pretty shocked. If I had a kid who had just tried suicide (and sadly I have one who started at age eleven, long story) I wouldn't have reacted negatively in any way to absolutely anything they told me right afterward, when they were trying so hard to get it out in the open and were looking for understanding and support. So I thought Joyce was a little harsh in places. That's not a criticism, because that's what you wanted Joyce to do so that's just her character and you wrote her the way you wanted her. I was just sorry she did that. As for the hold, I am not aware of any twenty four hour hold in California law, just the 72 hour one. And although I'm dealing with med social work it's mostly with industrial patients and work comp is exempt from HiPPA privacy laws for the most part so that's why I'm not dealing with HIPPA as much as others might so I'll defer to the other posters who are working in general mental health in California for the latest actual practice issues. Like I said, I'm not gonna complain about what you do as long as you don't go on a complete flight of fancy and ignore reality entirely, which you have not at all. I really like your story and I'm following you where you wanna go. It will be interesting to see what happens next -- now that Joyce knows. And will she tell Giles - if I were Buffy I'd prefer to have Joyce tell Giles as at least I wouldn't have to look in the eyes of a man I love like a father and have to tell him all that extremely embarrassing info. Bad enough if he must know, but please let someone else tell it and spare me that is my thinking. Please update soon -- I'm can't wait to see where you go next. Thanks. Mac 1. :-)

Sorry about your drop in reviews, i don't know why that would be. i love your story and really appreciate all your frequent updates. Thanks.

Really love what you've done to set this up realistically within the military culture (I have to trust you on that, but it certainly rings true and is in line with my impressions from other works - both fiction and nonfiction). Spike's a pig alright, and his obtuseness is infuriating. But of course he's operating at the grade school level with Buffy -- pull her braids and tease her and it's a sign of lurve. LOL I'm sure you'll put him in his place eventually, but I love the ride. Thanks for not rushing it and updating as regularly as you've been able to. Really looking forward to reading more. Thanks!

Author's Response: Thanks hon, I have changed some things up on purpose but for the most part it's relatively realistic to the real army life. Where I needed a break for fiction's sake I took it - I'm shameless, *giggles*. LOL, oh yes, he's definetely operating at the grade school level - silly deluded Spike. Ah, yes... it may take some time to put him in his place - but he'll learn, eventually, *snickers*. I'm really glad you enjoyed the chapter sweety, thanks so much for the wonderful review, take care, hugs.

Your summary says Buffy merges with the Slayer. Did you mean to write that or was that a typo? I'm just asking, no problem. I'll read your story when you've more posted but the question was bugging me. Thanks!!