Forward to Time Past by Unbridled_Brunette
Chapter: Chapter Thirty-Four

LindsayH
06/08/2007 09:19 pm
You wrote something in the first book, that Buffy was becoming the girl she had been before, pampered and well-taken care of. The cool juxtaposition of this story is that William is becoming the person he needs to be to fully answer to the Slayer and the girl both. That's just..neat!

Esther
05/20/2007 07:10 am
Fan-freaking-tastic!! Love how you slowly made the transition from William to Spike so believable, especially with the inclusion of what happened on the show. Sorry I didn't review sooner, but RL had me busy. I'm reading the next chapter now and can't wait to find out more. Great job!!
No problem. I know RL can get hectic, and I really appreciate your taking the time to review now. I've had some mixed feedback on this chapter (mostly from ff.net) but I love that most everyone on BSV seems to understand and enjoy the plot. Thanks for the feedback!

TwilightChild
05/14/2007 08:14 pm
Another absolutely amazing chapter. I love your story. You make Spike and Drusilla into flesh and blood in a way that I've never seen before.
Thank you so much, TC! You know I respect your own abilities as a writer, and that makes your opinion all the more valuable to me.

05/08/2007 08:54 pm
I'm starting to like Dru from your story. She's so sweet and poor and hurt and crazy and yet she's got those absolutely fantastic moments of lucidity. Good work, great chapter.
Thank you for the review. I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

05/08/2007 05:10 am
very good read, thank you. that is spike at his best and darla being darla. loved it.
I'm glad you did. Thanks for the review. :)

Cas
05/08/2007 04:29 am
Loved how you filled in the dots on the mineshaft incident! And somewhat surprised that both Spike and Dru leave.
Thanks, Cas. I'm glad you liked it. :)

05/07/2007 11:06 pm
This just gets better and better -- you're doing a brilliant job of Spike's history. Authentic.
Thank you, Lou. That is just what I've been striving for, so it's nice to know you think I'm succeeding. :)

05/07/2007 04:39 pm
So glad to see an update!
Wondering if Angelus is going to eat a gypsy...If Spike will have more slayers under his belt than when he originally met Buffy.
SUCH a good story!
Thank you! I'm glad you like it. :)

05/07/2007 10:21 am
This just gets better and better. You have NAILED Spike IMHO. Even accounting for the differences caused by William having died knowing love this rings real for the character we saw onscreen. You have his conflicted "soul", the desire to do or die and not caring too much which it might be, to perfection.

Naturally Darla, crafty girl that she is (and BTW, your voices on all four are dead on)is baiting Spike with her information about the Slayer in Rome. She wants him gone...NOW.

Loved your added dialogue in the mine shaft. It was like just the right touch of seasoning and made that scene exactly right. You filled in the blanks beautifully.

I am so impressed with how skillfully you are telling this story. I find myself nodding as I read and thinking, "Yes, that's just how it was." Excellent.

Kathleen
I've been working hard to get into Spike's head (as well as the rest of them), so I'm so relieved you think I'm portraying them accurately. The Fanged Four are so much fun to write, I'm actually going to miss them once I hit Part III. Thanks for the review! :)

05/07/2007 06:45 am
They leave indefinitely? No house of pain? They miss the Gypsy soul curse? Oh, rats! ;)

Oh, and don't know if you saw it, my comment on your TGiQ thread, but I think, judging how Angelus liked things in a certain, proper way, that he found Spike to be crass in comparison to William the Bloody, but probably conceded to Spike's wishes once he offed his first Slayer.
I did read your post, Scarlet. Thanks for your thoughts. I'm still on the fence about whether or not to include the Immortal in this story, but I have 14 years to go before he makes his appearance, so I guess I have plenty of time to figure it out, lol.

Thanks for the review. :)

05/07/2007 05:54 am
So sad this fearlessness was born from his pain. Love the rewrite, very well done. The timeline is moving along, hoping you will be visiting Buffy soon to see how she's handling this. So much to write about, can't wait. Thanks for the update.
Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you like it. :)

Leanne
05/07/2007 04:15 am
Love it, love it love it! This is such a great STORY - giving us some history that we know was there but never really thought about. A great fun read - can't wait to read more!
I'm so glad you do, Leanne. Thank you for taking the time to review it and let me know. :)

Carole
05/07/2007 04:08 am
You've painted a great picture of Spike at this point in time. Folly and bravery, protectiveness and selfishness, all pushing him forward to his "destiny". I've always loved Spike because he managed to transcend whatever role he was supposed to play and you write this wonderfully. I'm not sure that I agree with his views on Dru but I fully believe that he does. What a romantic he is. Even his first thoughts of the Slayer, which I adored, are poetic.

"No release from the hollow ache where something wonderful had resided and then been pulled away."

Lovely reference to both the soul and the love that was lost. Finding this chapter tonight was a treat! Thank you.
No matter how hard Spike tries to shed his William persona, there is always that little glimmer of it underneath the surface. His thoughts of the Slayer prove that. I'm glad you liked that scene. Thanks for the review. :)

Shanna
05/07/2007 03:56 am
I am waiting patiently for the Spuffy reunion but I am dearly enjoying Spike's journey. I may not review every chapter but always know that I read the chapters as soon as I notice that they are posted.
I appreciate whatever feedback you want to offer, Shanna. And the very fact you are following the story so closely is a great compliment. Thank you for letting me know. :)

kim
05/07/2007 03:33 am
Hmmm..well....is this a permanent leave of family, or just an extended trip? Quite interested in what canon you'll choose to stick to....

Great chapter!
Thank you! :)

Onyx
05/07/2007 03:18 am
Another brilliant chapter, I only wish it were longer, though that is only my eagerness to read MORE of the story; To find out what happens next.
Well, I consider that a compliment instead of a criticism then. Thanks for the review. :)

05/07/2007 02:48 am
OMG! I've been waiting all week for this! What a surprise to see you post tonight. Thought for sure it wouldn't arrive til' weeks end. What can I say that I haven't already said? You know how much I love this story. Again another fab chapter. I was so hoping you would integrate the mineshaft scene with this chapter. You never disappoint. :D

So many favorite bits in this chappy but these are my top three..

1.'The greatest of them all…'
2. “…but the ones that do are famous.” He smiled to himself at that.

Famous.
3. “The Slayer!”

“The Slayer,” he whispered back, grinning.

I can just see his, Darla's and Dru's faces in each of those scenes and you had me smiling with glee with the last... "The Slayer".

Btw, should have some banners for you to chose from this week. So look for them in your mail by week's end. :D
I'm so glad you liked it. Thanks for taking the time to tell me so; your reviews make my day. :D Oh, and thanks again for putting the work into those banners. I can't tell you how flattered I am that you would volunteer to do that.

05/07/2007 02:40 am
That was tremendously exciting. Spike is totally out of his mind now - Elizabeth and all the old ways forgotten - nothing but evil ahead. Loved it.
Thank you. I'm so glad you did. :)

05/07/2007 02:35 am
You must know how the North London bit pleases me so. :) I'm curious about this Italian Slayer now. You don't seem to be going wildly off canon, so I don't think he'll kill her - but obviously she won't kill him, either. And it's interesting that they're going to Rome, in light of your forum post about TGIQ... ;) Awesome update (as always)!
I've gotten a lot of positive feedback on the accent discussion, lol. Thanks for the review!

LadyYashka
05/07/2007 02:33 am
Nice look into Spike's head. You certainly explained why he understands Slayers. I was reading this and think of his line about every Slayer having a death wish. Spike knows this because he has that same death wish. Spike's not about to simply give up, and he'll take out as many people before he dies as possible, but a part of him still wants it to end.

I like how you used the lines from the episode. You even used my favorite line from that episode.

"Don’t you ever get tired of fights you know you’re going to win?”

I also like how you expanded on the scene. I could easily picture what you wrote actually happening.

I loved Darla as well. The evil woman was telling Spike about the Italian Slayer, just so he would go out and find her. I bet Darla is hoping the Slayer will kill Spike. I can't wait for Angelus' reaction when he finds out Spike and Dru have left.

Great update and I am always looking forward to the next.
That was one of my favorite lines, as well. I especially love the way JM delivered it ... very sexy, somehow. I'm glad you liked the chapter. Thanks, as always, for reviewing. :)

05/07/2007 01:57 am
I like the way you've woven canon and speculation into the changing of William into Spike. I'm curious as to what Darla is up to--I've never seen her do anything without a purpose.
Oh, no. She had a good reason to send him to Rome. Mostly to get rid of him; he was being a thorn in her side, after all. :P

Thanks for the review!

05/07/2007 01:46 am
This fic continues to be one of the most captivating portrayals of William the Bloody, and his journey, that I have ever read. You climb right into his head and crack it wide open.
Thanks!

05/07/2007 01:46 am
This fic continues to be one of the most captivating portrayals of William the Bloody, and his journey, that I have ever read. You climb right into his head and crack it wide open.
Thank you so much. How nice of you to say. :)