More Toil and Trouble by slaymesoftly

05/10/2015 02:42 am
Thirteen         
Nice way to introduce Tara - 
Thanks. :)

jetz
12/22/2014 07:19 am
Thirteen         
Terrific story. I really liked Willow's characterization as dark and dangerous. The dynamics between all the characters was just so believable and the story flowed right along. I also have to add my thanks for a happy spuffy ending, it feels right.
Thanks. I'm glad it worked for you. Had to keep Willow the same easily seduced by her own power gal that she was in the first story, although she needed to be trying to be better. :)

12/17/2014 03:04 am
Thirteen         

Very good story!    I like the happier endings.    I also liked the part that Willow is willing to try to use earth magics because of Tara.   If you truly love someone, his or her opinion really matters most!     Good job.   Thanks for the update, and thank you for sharing your talent with the rest of us.

Thank you for reading. I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

12/09/2014 02:28 am
Thirteen         
Totally enjoyed the down time between Buffy and Spike.  They needed a break to cement their relationship after all the previous action.  
Thanks. Yes, it is after all, a Spuffy story, so they needed some time to work on being a couple after being heros.

12/05/2014 09:51 am
Thirteen         
Lovely chapter with things going so nicely.   Buffy and Spike very sweet together, and Giles on the ball doesn't hurt either!
Hoping I've left everyone in a good place, without actually promising things won't go pear-shaped some time in the future.... :)  Thanks for reading.

12/03/2014 01:55 am
Thirteen         
Loved the chapter. It was worth the wait :D
Thank you. Sorry for the long wait - RL was busy.

12/02/2014 03:11 pm
Thirteen         
Sweet Spuffiness.

I'm still as worried as Giles and Spike as to whether desire for Tara's approval is enough to keep Willow away from the darkness. 

Complete? How is the story complete? May I expect another sequel? Please?
Well, based on what we know about this Willow from the first fic, and from where she goes in canon.... I'd say they have a right to worry. 

This story is complete, but obviously there is more that could be dealt with later. :)

11/05/2014 09:29 pm
Twelve         
Nice to see an edgy story where Willow isn't either a cheerful elf or Darth Willow, but clueless and dangerous. And Evelyn doesn't come across as a Mary Sue Instant Solution to that set of problems.

Building slowly but nicely, too.
Thank you. I'm glad it's working for you.  And I doubt Evelyn is going to be able to "fix" Willow as well as she might like, but perhaps she'll give her more to think about....

11/04/2014 01:15 pm
Twelve         
Love the fighty bit and the dynamic they've developed, but of course Willow is still being... Willow.
She is. Not sure she ever gets completely over that....

11/04/2014 09:00 am
Twelve         
Nice battle, quick and clean.  I see Willow still wants to be the wicked witch of the world, what's it going to take to show her the error of her ways?  Great fun.
Thanks. Well, if Willow did a complete turn-around, it might be hard to explain season 6, yes?

SeaPea
11/04/2014 03:28 am
Twelve         
Went to this site before LJ today.  Loved the little speech Buffy gave Spike regarding her Slayer duty in the beginning of the chapter.  Well said.
Thank you. :)

Colleen
10/30/2014 02:55 am
Chapter Eleven         
Hi,

 just wanted to say that I have just been reading all your fic's and I am so happy you keep up such good work and still write Spike and Buffy fanfiction. So many people don't anymore and it's sad. Keep up the great work, any is there any way to get on an update list, so when you update we get an email to check back??? thank you
I'm glad you're still enjoying my favorite pair. There aren't that many of us left. :)  To be honest, I have no idea if there's a way to get notifications. Dia is the programmer (and owner) for the site, and since I'm a mod, I've never paid much attention to how to get notifications as I'm on here so often anyway.  You might check the "support" section and see if there's anything there about it. Or put in a request on a forum thread. Kinda doubt there's much need for something like that now, though, with there being so few authors still writing and so few still reading regularly. Might be worth a shot, though.
The home page always shows which fics have been updated or posted recently, but again, with so few new ones coming in, that list doesn't change very often. I think there are only two of us with wip and we just keep flip-flopping first and second on the list depending on which of us has most recently posted a new chapter. Sometimes it's weeks in between.

10/26/2014 03:41 pm
Chapter Eleven         
It looks like the Hellmouth source of easy power is the culprit then with demony Willow on one shoulder and normal Willow on the other shoulder.  I hope when all is done that Willow does go away to better learn how to strengthen the good magic. 
I just hope she gets through this story. She wants so much to believe that she's in control.... :)

10/25/2014 01:32 pm
Chapter Eleven         
I like the way you've transferred Xander's 'I love you' intervention with Willow to here. Not quite as dramatic as the confontation in S6 but similarly effective. I hope it sticks...
Love the team-work developing including Spike.
Thank you. I'm glad it's working for you. Blending canon with not-at-all-canon with sort of canon, only earlier =  tricky stuff sometimes. :)

10/25/2014 10:37 am
Chapter Eleven         
Let's hope Willow's lightning fast volte-face lasts, Xander did well there.  Now for the big battle...  can't wait for more!
Well, at least let's hope it lasts long enough to take care of Adam....

10/18/2014 09:14 pm
Ten         
I love Evelyn!  Excellent definition of using earth magic.   Glad that Xander did not blow a complete gasket with the reveal.  
LOL Xan gets to be a reasonably good guy in this one. :)  I'm glad you like Evelyn. She has a role to play.

10/18/2014 01:58 pm
Ten         
Time for Willow to be taught a lesson....
We'll see....

10/18/2014 08:53 am
Ten         
At last someone who can take Willow on  -- but perfectly coolly.  As an outsider, Evelyn  is exactly what was needed, and Willow is still arguing.  Love it.
*nods* I don't think Willow is going to give up that idea that it's all her very easily...

09/30/2014 04:32 pm
Nine         
Willow doesn't seemed to have learned anything, and as for bringing Riley to visit ... words fail me.
We'll see....

momnesia@yahoo.com
09/29/2014 03:22 pm
Nine         

Great!   Keep going.     Thanks for updating so quickly.   

Thanks. Might be awhile before the next one...

09/29/2014 05:31 am
Nine         
Great dialogues, really interesting plot development, only the "bathroom scene" gave me wiggins (really not into roughing it :P).
Giles making Willow actually realize something and looking thoughtfully at Spike... :)
Can't wait to see what her plan is. And, please let Riley get what he deserves for the kind of jerk he is.
LOL Sorry for the wiggins.  I just have a hard time writing something that ignores basic bodily functions that have to happen at some point during a lengthy stay in Spike's crypt.  At some point, he probably bulds her a bathroom, but he hasn't had time for that yet. :)
I can't wait to see what her plan is either... ROFLMAO  and *sigh*. 

09/28/2014 11:46 pm
Nine         

I just love it when Riley has to ask Buffy for help and realises just how little he understands of what being a slayer means. Bonus when he discovers that Spike is more help than he is.
*nods* That's one of those themes I've used before - that Spike is more like Buffy than Riley is, and more able to keep up. 

Ready
09/23/2014 04:28 pm
Chapter Eight         
This one made me smile. Thank you
You're wecome! <3

09/23/2014 03:12 pm
Chapter Eight         
Good to clear the air and put things on a sounder footing.
*nod* I hope so!

09/23/2014 03:00 pm
Chapter Eight         
Love that they're actually talking.
Yay! I was afraid it might be getting boring.

09/23/2014 01:06 pm
Chapter Eight         
What an insightful couples talk between the two!  I hope this drawing closer together will help them with the Willow problem.
The more they talk things out, the better their chances of understanding each other. IMHO

09/23/2014 04:02 am
Chapter Eight         
Awww! Spike can be such a sweet talker.
I completely understand why she doesn't want to be called generic pet names, but slayer is not only what but also who she is. Denying that will only lead to problems. Besides, she wouldn't have the stamina to keep up with him if it wasn't for her slayer strength ;).

So, Spike as her lit tutor. I wonder how long he can do that before being distracted by other activities :).
She'll get over her little "I want to be normal" fit. :)

09/20/2014 02:47 pm
Chapter Seven         
Yup, the truth is sometimes uncomfortable or painful to hear, but it's all the more valuable for that.
Exactly!

09/20/2014 10:25 am
Chapter Seven         
Quite the homemakers, aren't they?  Though the thought of Spike plus self-assembly furniture is a laugh.
In my head, I see Sarah and James and this is a very funny scene - at least until they get to the serious parts...  Although, canon Buffy probably wouldn't be any better at putting stuff together than he is...

09/20/2014 02:30 am
Chapter Seven         
Yes, whatever will they do? ;) Looking forward to see. :)
I'm pretty sure Spike has a plan... :)

05/09/2015 08:19 pm
Chapter Six         
Always so nice to have a Spike friend in a story - not enough of them - one of the things I always wanted in the series.  I loved his relationship with Clem but I still would have liked a human friend.  

Always a pleasure to read your stories.  
Yes, poor Spike was very lonely in the series. I saw no reason why he couldn't have been friends with Clem a bit earlier.  Thanks for reading!

tpw1594@aol.com
09/17/2014 02:20 am
Chapter Six         

Loved this chapter!     Please keep writing. . . . .I love reading good stories, and this is definitely one of them.   Thank you for sharing your talent with the rest of us.

momnesia

Thank you for reading. I'm glad you're enjoying it. :)

09/14/2014 04:07 pm
Chapter Six         
I just hope Buffy turns that dangerous look on Riley.   
We'll have to see...

09/14/2014 02:04 pm
Chapter Six         
And now things are becoming very interesting...

I hope so! :)

09/14/2014 10:52 am
Chapter Six         
Good to see Riley's true nature showing so nicely to Giles -- hah, what a git!  Buffy and Spike are being very cute,
They can be cute, when they aren't killing things... :) Thanks for reading.

09/14/2014 04:22 am
Chapter Six         
Very interesting chapter. Love the UST, and hope to see some "soldier butt kickin" soon. I know I'm bloodthirsty and vengeful [;)], but Riley is one of my least favourite characters of Buffyverse.

* one more thing - the site seems to have a problem with italics - it sometimes joins words together if the middle one is in italics "wereyoudoing."
UST is my favorite thing. I've been know to drag it on and on and on.... LOL  The italics was me being careless with the html, which isn't needed on this site, but is on several others....

09/08/2014 01:35 pm
Five         
Love that Buffy finally owned up. I hope that everyone is angry with the correct person, that is Willow, not Buffy or Spike.
Oh dear. Buffy's really going to have to dodge Riley and the Initiative now. Back to Giles' in the morning....
Back to Giles's when it's safe to go there.... :)

09/08/2014 01:18 pm
Five         
Such a sweet scene at the end there, and Buffy realising lots of things about Spike made me verrrrry happy.  Willow is slipping away though, isn't she?  Was she ever a true friend to Buffy?
We'll just have to see if Willow can be pulled away from the darkside without a Tara to help her out...

09/08/2014 04:14 am
Five         
Love your writing! It makes me happy and sad, makes me laugh or want to yell at some people, and definitely makes me forget about the whole world when I'm reading it :). Thank you for this one. Please post more soon :hyper.
Thank you. I love your reviews! :)

Rabbit-moon
09/06/2014 12:53 pm
Four         

Great continuation of your Toil and Trouble saga!   You have such a mastery of Spuffy, their voices, their actions, and their banter!  So pitch perfect.  I just love reading your stories!
Love your bitch/Willow.  Everyone thinks Willow is so sweet and innocent, but she actually did some pretty reprehensible stuff in the series.  Im hoping for some serious comeuppance for Willow if she continues to be such an arrogant twit.
Looking forward to your next chapter.




 

Thank you! I hope you enjoy the rest of it. :)

09/04/2014 02:22 pm
Four         
I don't like this self-centred, arrogant Willow...
She's not very likeable just now...

09/04/2014 01:21 pm
Four         
More witty repartee enjoyed!  I hope Willow does not do too much more but I'm sure she will because of your title.  
Well, she's only got two ways to go - be better and more reasonable... or not...

09/04/2014 01:08 pm
Four         
Love your seriously unpleasant Willow, I think Giles has his hands full convincing her she needs anything but a free rein!  Even Xander is being reasonable, which makes a nice change.  Can't blame Spike for getting in a huff!  Great fun.
Thanks, Lou. Yeah, she's not at all willing to believe she shouldn't be able to have her way. Maybe Xander can talk some sense into her? Or not....

Kristen
09/04/2014 08:28 am
Four         
Why are u so good at this! I need more update soon please :)
In a day or so.  Thank you. :)

09/04/2014 02:44 am
Four         
I've always wondered about Willow - how could someone so intelligent be so stupid at the same time? OK, she's too young to have gained wisdom, but intelligent people should learn from their mistakes, right? Or maybe I'm too naive ;). Nice chapter :).
I think Willow is still too impressed with what she was able to do to think of any of it as a "mistake". And still pretty pissed off about having that power drained from her.

09/02/2014 10:04 am
Three         
Double bubble indeed.  I hope Buffy's lalala attitude to both problems doen't bite her on the bum!  It's good that Giles overheard the last conversation, he at least seems to be on the ball.
:)    Who knows? Maybe it will work out....

09/02/2014 02:10 am
Three         
I hope you managed to keep it fluffy, as you wrote on your lj :). I thoroughly enjoyed this chapter.
Great banter and a lot to look forward to.

BTW, sorry about my previous entry - I remember selecting the "private comment," but it seems there is some bug that turns my private comments public :(. The formatting got partly fixed for chp.2 - no more bold or lines between each line of the text. Instead of that, the font size increase function does not work for the chapter - no matter which size I click it still shows the smallest one :(. Everything is fine with chps 1 & 3 though :).
It will definitely end fluffy - it's just hard to be really fluffy when your potentials problems are out-of-control Willow and/or The Initiative. But I'm trying. Maybe if Buffy and Spike are amusing enough when together, it will make up for any bad things that happen....

No prob. I don't use a beta very often anymore, so I'm always happy to have someone let me know if/when I've screwed up. I'm my own worst editor. :)  Hmmm no idea about the font size - it actually looks huge when I paste into the Word box, and normal when it gets into the text box. That's a Dia thing if it isn't working. No idea what I did to creat the lines and the bold, but no doubt it was something!

09/02/2014 12:34 am
Three         
So... Giles is going to be very interested in Spike's concern for Buffy's welfare. Hope Buffy takes him seriously and is cautious. I really didn't understand why on the show, Maggie wasn't more interested in investigating exactly what a slayer is. I'd have though that she would have considered Buffy a perfect basis for a supersoldier - if she could only figure out where her powers came from.

Still worried about Willow...
I'm sure she would have at least wanted to know if there was a way for her to use those powers. Of course, she had Adam lying there waiting to be awakened...

09/02/2014 12:07 am
Three         
Would Riley really tolerate Initiative shanigans done to Buffy?  (sarcasm)
LOL He does in all my stories. :)

09/01/2014 04:47 pm
Two         
This fic contains the best interplay of words between Spike and Buffy and I'm totally enjoying it!
I'm so glad. Thanks for telling me so. :)

08/31/2014 07:58 pm
Two         
Great follow-up. Can't wait for more :)
However, there's something wrong with the formatting - all the chapter is in bold, and when you move the mouse cursor over the text it gets underlined. I've seen it in some other authors' stories on the site...

I have a question about sentence "Do you really want to remind of that?" Shouldn't it be "remind me"?
You've also missed a few commas, e.g. in the 2 last paragraphs - "No we're not." "And yes we are." There's more, but the strange formatting makes it impossible to copy and paste :(.
Anyway, hope you can help it somehow...
The story is developing really nicely and it seems to have all the things I like so much in your fics. :)
Thanks for the heads-up. I think I fixed the formatting (and inserted the missing "me"). It looks ok in preview, so I hope whatever went wrong the first time fixed itself.

Re the missing commas: when you are using the "yes" or "no" as part of a phrase, not as an interjection, (no pause), the comma isnt necessary. (CMoS 6.39) In fact I actually took another one out that shouldn't have been there. Didn't do a complete careful reread, though, so don't know where the other missing ones might be. Maybe I'll catch them later today if I get time to look it over again.  :)

08/31/2014 12:32 pm
Two         
Now then, what's going to happen between Buffy & Riley/The Initiative?
Always loved the budding friendship between Joyce & Spike. They both benefitted from a sympathetic ear and some adult conversation.
More please...
More soon. Thanks for reading!

08/31/2014 07:44 am
Two         
I really like this story so far and I can't wait for more.  The Joyce Spike interaction/friendship is always welcome and confused Buffy is amusing as well.  Keep up the great work...like you always do.
Thanks. I hope you like the rest of it. :)

08/30/2014 05:45 pm
One         
Excellent! Glad that Giles has coonfirmed to himself that it's past time to do something about Willow, and utterly perfect bickering and putting of feet into mouths from Buffy & Spike.

Now I'm just a little concerned what Willow might do before this tutor arrives...
Thank you. Bickering/bantering was one of the requests for this story, so nice to know it's working. :)

momnesia@yahoo.com
08/30/2014 02:54 pm
One         

Very good thus far!    I hope you will be able to add to this sometime soon.    Please keep writing.

Glad you like it.  It's almost complete, so updates will be pretty regular and often.

08/30/2014 12:59 pm
One         
Due to this I had the pleasure of rereading Double Bouble and your spectacularly nasty Willow and dumbo Xander.   Doesn't look like either of them has improved much in the interim -- and as for the hilarious star-crossed lovers!!!  Great fun.
Thanks, Lou. I hope you enjoy the rest of it. :)

08/30/2014 12:33 pm
One         
A new story! Love the beginning.
:) I hope you continue to like it.

Ready
08/30/2014 06:21 am
One         
Brilliant beginning. Thank you
Thanks. Hope you like the rest of it. :)