Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)

Thanks! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Hope you like the rest. :)

Hmm... reward? Maybe in the sequel. :)

Thanks for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Thank you! I think they both needed to relive that moment in order to heal - Buffy to value her life, and Spike to get over his failure. So glad you liked it!

Thanks! I'm glad you liked it!

Thanks for the review! There is indeed more to come, so I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Okay, you caught me. My goal for this story was "make DoS cry." (Well, you've done it enough times to me... so I invented a little thing I call "payback.") So glad to have you along for the ride!

Thank you so much! I wanted the ending to mirror season 5's end, because it was really Buffy and Spike's way of confronting what happened to them, overcoming the pain and the fear, and being able to move on.

Original fantasy novel, eh? Oooh, don't know about that. The reason I write fanfic is because I'm not creative enough to come up with original characters and plots, lol. But I certainly appreciate your faith in me! :)

I know it does, I did it on purpose! :) I purposely left some things unresolved, knowing I wanted to continue - like Giles, for example. And although Buffy and Spike are definitely closer, they're still not *together* - and that's going to be a long, painful process ('cause I feel like you gotta earn it when they get together).

Thanks for reviewing - I'm glad you've enjoyed the story.

Thanks! So glad you liked it.

Nothing like dangling hundreds of feet above ground to make you really value your life! :)

No need for begging! I had already decided while writing this that I wanted to do a whole season 6 in this AU.

I really liked the idea of giving Xander some heroics. He so often gets made out to be a bad guy in Spuffy fics. Yeah, he's a jerk sometimes, but I kinda like the guy.

Thanks for the review!

Don't worry, in the next story, there will definitely be repercussions from Giles' decision, and it will affect his relationship with the Scoobies. Probably no actual butt-kicking, as I think Buffy's too nice to hit someone as old as Giles.

Hee! Come on, how could I resist?

Thanks, TC! I thought it was funny you turned up on VK when all my stuff was already posted here. :) I do try to keep the Scoobies true to the show - I don't really dislike any of them (I know a lot of Spuffy fans have anti-Xander biases), and I like to show all sides of them. Glad you enjoyed the fic!

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the story!

My cliffhangers are nothing if not literal... Glad you liked it! :)

Hehe, sorry about the evil cliffie... couldn't help myself. Glad you liked it.

Thank you, dear, I love hearing from you! I think you're probably right about Spike - his guilt definitely plays a part in the way he reacts to Buffy. Fortunately, this Buffy's not beating him up...

Thanks so much for the lovely review, Alia! Makes me happy to hear that you like it.

Thanks! I like the idea of conflict between Giles and the Scoobies. He's always been the parent, pretty much unquestioned, but our kids are growing up, and they can question his judgment now. They've done it before individually (Willow comes to mind most prominently), but never as a unified group.

Well, since you asked so nicely... :)

I knew it was evil, but I just couldn't resist - it's so literal! How could I *not* leave Buffy dangling off a cliff?

Hehe, I'm impatient too, so you probably won't have to wait long! :)

Spike's pet advice was totally the reason I got rid of my fire-breathing cat. It just wasn't worth the singed carpets. ;)

I think Giles does have a point, but he doesn't realize he's put her in a situation she's been in for awhile now. She's been having near-misses on patrol, and sometimes Spike saved her, but mostly she made the decision herself. The problem I think is that Giles thinks this one grand gesture - slaying the dragon - will once and for all prove she wants to live. Whereas it's really a series of decisions, every day, every fight, she has to decide again to live.

No - this is a different dragon. This dragon was summoned (also through a portal) using the blood-letting ritual and the talisman that Xander and Anya found.

Thanks for the review! Glad you liked it.

Heh... don't you hate it when that happens?

Thank you, Alia! So glad you're enjoying it!

Oooh, thanks for the long review! I *heart* long reviews! I definitely hated the Giles abandonment crap in season 6... I can *almost* understand him wanting to leave so Buffy can be independent (even though she's been recently DEAD), if he's thinking she's well-adjusted again. But after finding out about heaven, he STILL goes? No. Way. And with all the extra stuff that I guess he didn't notice... grrr. That pissed me off.

As for Spike, I really find it hard to believe that he could be percepto-boy for 4 seasons and not figure out what was really going on with Buffy in season 6. I think part of the difference between that and this fic is that because Spike really wanted a relationship with Buffy, maybe he was willing to overlook the problems in order to get the sex. But he's not getting as much out of the drinking (unless she drinks enough to crawl into his lap) so it's easier to say no. Also, he's probably thinking clearer without the blood getting diverted from his brain so much! ;)

Thanks for the awesome compliments, it means so much that you think my stories are so true to the show.

Hmmm... I think Buffy's mostly past her "suicide by demon" phase, but even a little loss of the will to live can really be detrimental in a fight... so who knows? ;)

Hi UB! Thanks for the review... glad you liked it. Giles's reaction was a little hard to write, since I'm not even sure he's doing the right thing (mostly because I know what happens next, lol). I was always kind of like "huh?" when he does a similar thing in OMWF, and I thought it made more sense to come *after* he finds out about heaven.

Heh... but what fun would that be?

Well, clearly I kinda liked Sweet, since he's making a guest appearance in another fic I started. But I wanted to do something different here. And I think a dragon is more threatening - it's hard to be intimidated by someone who tap dances.

Well, Giles always was the smart one...

Glad you liked the Spike and Buffy scene. I think that got rewritten more times than any other scene I've written in my life.

Yeah, Spike's no prince. :) And I think the Scoobies deserve to feel guilty, at least for a little while... but they'll get past this eventually.

Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!

Thank you! Glad to hear you like it!

Thanks! And if you liked the end, there's more crying coming up in the next chapter! :)

It's a super-awkward situation on both ends. Even if her friends are what Buffy needs right now, it's gotta be really hard to talk to them.

Well... light is relative, lol. She's still depression girl, but at least she's coping a bit better.

Thank you! Glad you liked it.

Yeah, Spike's definitely less evil - and a sweetie to boot. Who *wouldn't* want to cry on that chest? Glad you liked the chapter.

Yeah... it's what she needs, and it's what he deserves. Now if only it would last...

She's always been a secret-keeper, but I think this one is a direct result of her resurrection. She needs to tell someone, but she can't tell her friends, because she wants to protect them.

Thanks for the review! And yeah, the Scoobies aren't too happy that Buffy and Spike are spending so much time together, but maybe the immense guilt will distract them. ;)

Thanks! Glad to hear it.

Willow didn't do the spell. It was just drunk Buffy spilling the beans. When Spike said, "There's your sodding truth spell," he was referring to the alcohol. Believe me, if Spike thought she did it, there'd have been little Willow pieces scattered all over the Summers living room, chip or no chip.

Well, considering who we're talking about, which do you think is more likely? ;) Thanks for the review!

Glad you liked it!

Thanks! I'm so glad you enjoyed it, and I really appreciate the wonderful comments!

Yep, everyone knows. Now the question is what are they gonna do about it?

Aww, thank you so much for the lovely compliments! I'm glad you're enjoying it.

Yeah, it's definitely better if it comes from Buffy.

Heh, I guess I must be doing something right, since your reviews always seem to start with "awww"! ;)

Ha... I wanted to come up with something just as bad as the Doublemeat, so this is white-collar hell. :)

She is a mite self-absorbed, isn't she? Doesn't even realize that he's making her feel better by letting her put him down and recite his failures. Glad you liked it!

Yeah, leave it to Buffy to bring up the worst time of his life in recent memory.

Yeah, but Spike's plans tend to go pear-shaped... so maybe he's best staying out of it!

Yep, Spike is love's bitch, fool for love, the whole deal... poor guy. But that's why we love him so much. :)

Oh, there will be true confessions - no singing (that's my *other* fic) but Buffy'll be blurting it all out in good time, don't worry.

Spike's in such a difficult position - he knows what he's doing is bad, but he can't bring himself to stop, both because he loves her and can't deny her anything, and because he fears that the alternative is worse (and he's probabl right).

Buffy's just, as usual, wrapped up in herself.

Thanks for the lovely compliment! I'm glad you enjoy the story so much.

Thanks, glad you liked it!

I don't think being the Key would necessarily make her good at magic. She never showed any real aptitude for it on the show - languages seemed to be her strength. Even though her origins are mystical, her essence comes from Buffy (who also shows no real aptitude for magic) - so other than that one trick of opening dimensional portals, I don't know that she'd necessarily be any good at magic.

*sigh* Isn't Spike wonderful? :) Thanks for the review, so glad you liked it.

Well, let's hope she does. Thanks for the review!

Heh, I think he was intending to use the poker on demons... and even with the chip, if Willow did a spell on Buffy, he'd be pissed enough to work through the pain. After all, "it'll hurt like hell for a few hours, but she'll be dead a lot longer than that."

Thanks so much! I really appreciate the kind reviews!

Yeah, poor Spike... something's gotta give pretty soon.

Thanks sweetie!

Seems like he's the only one who knows what's going on...

Heh... you're not alone. Glad you liked it.

Thank you for the lovely compliments! So glad you enjoyed it.

Yeah, she is. :)

Heh... judging by your first review, I've apparently got you scared speechless. ;)

The cliffhangiest, eh? Glad you liked it!

Looks like...

Thanks!

We'll have to see what Willow's up to... Glad you liked the chappie.

Well, since I'm always on the edge of *my* seat reading your stories, I'll call it even. ;)

That's a bet I'd put money on...

Nope, nothing good... Glad you liked it!

I know... two cliffies in a row. I'm evil. ;) More soon, I promise.

Well, I'd kinda hope he saves her, don't you? ;)

Thank goodness for Spike, right? Glad you're enjoying it!

Well, this is *Buffy* we're talking about... What can I say? She likes to hit.

Hehe, thanks for the enthusiastic review... so many exclamation points... ;)

Yep. ;)

Aww, thanks, sweetie!

Heh... I do like my evil cliffies. But I post quickly, so I hope that makes up for it. :)

I know! I've always had a soft spot for Xander (partly because he gets so maligned in a lot of Spuffy fics).

Thank you! :)

Thanks, glad you liked it. It was a fun chapter to write.

Thought it was time for a lighter chapter... we can't be death and depression all the time!

Hmm... might be. Question is - is that better or worse than sex with a vampire you hate?

Thanks so much for the comments... glad you like the story. Buffy's definitely a "two steps forward, one step back" kind of girl, isn't she?

I think he's got the edge, because even though she's trying not to be helped, a part of her responds to what he's trying to do.

Thanks... I'm a big Billy Joel fan. Spike always gets labelled as a punk, but he strikes me as the kind of guy who'd be into the music of every era. In the flashbacks we've seen on both shows, he always seemed to adapt to whatever time period it was.

Thanks, glad you liked it!

Thanks, glad you liked it!

Thanks! I think she's definitely reacting to what he said, even if it's a subconscious thing that makes her fight back at the last minute. And it seems natural that she would keep coming back to him - for comfort and for the booze.

Not that he's exactly the AA poster child, lol! But hopefully it's just a phase that will run its course.

Thank you! This fic is definitely meant to build on that friendship.

Thanks, glad you've enjoyed it!

Aww, thank you sweetie, what a wonderful compliment! I definitely agree, Spike needs to do something, but when you think about it... that's pretty much how Spike deals with problems too (Lover's Walk...). I think he's getting out of his depth, but he'll do anything he can to save her.

Thanks!

That's exactly what she's doing...

Thanks, glad you liked it!

Glad you liked it! Buffy does have feelings for him - but she's too wrapped up in her issues to do anything other than subconsciously choose him.

Might be. ;)

I think he at least realizes that she's not getting any support from her friends. But that's an awful lot of pressure for one vampire.

Thank you, glad you like it! (Just don't expect too much happy Spuffy just yet... it's just too much fun messing with them.)

Well, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery! :) I'm glad you liked it!

Thanks, glad you liked it!

Yeah, Spike definitely doesn't want to break Buffy's trust, even if it's to help her.

And yes, vamps do need breath to speak, but they don't need oxygen so they don't get out of breath (except out of habit, I think... oh, who am I kidding? I just make it up, Joss confused me with his "they can smoke but they can't give CPR" nonsense).

Yeah, he's walking a fine line... but he's damn good at reading people, so he can sort of tell what Willow needs to hear.

Thanks! Glad you liked it.

Glad you liked it!

Well... yes. She could be the Willow from the actual show, lol. At least this one knows enough to ask Spike if Buffy's okay.

Spike's a smart guy. :)

And he did it while flipping through the air... gosh, that man is talented. *lusty sigh*

Thanks! I think Buffy is very resistant to letting people get close to her, and so there's always a set of walls Spike has to knock down repeatedly in order to get to her.

I think she definitely sees him in a different light than on the show - but she's still Buffy, so she probably won't be too bright about it! ;)

Yeah, if she wants to keep it from her friends, telling Dawn is NOT the way to go. You know she'd flip out and be very defensive of Buffy.

It's like the Beatles said - "All you need is Spike."

What do you mean, I'm quoting it wrong? ;)

Glad you liked it. I don't think we can expect her to tell everything just yet, but they do have that sisterly bond.

Oh, who knows what was going on in those writers' brains that season! Thanks for the review!

Sadly, there's not too much Spike and Dawn in this fic, but I'm planning on a whole AU series, and the next story has lots of those two together.

I'm conflicted on whether it was a mistake or not... we will see.

Well, since Buffy doesn't remember, I guess we'll never know! But Spike definitely knows something's wrong with her, and he's not going to give her the chance to kill herself if he can help it.

Heh... it's mostly because sometimes I think Joss just said it better than I ever could. ;-) But kinda gives you the sense that, even in this AU, some things are still the same. That will probably become less frequent, though, as I go farther from canon.

Thanks for the lovely compliment! Buffy & Dawn scenes are my third favorite to write... after Spike & Buffy (of course) and Spike & Dawn. Their relationship is so complicated... moreso than most sisters because of the Key thing, and now with the added "mom" component of Buffy being her guardian.

Haven't we all gotten drunk and danced on top of a sarcophagus once in our lives? No? :)

Thanks! Glad you liked it.

Thanks! Glad you're enjoying it. I like angst, but I'm not so good at writing it, so I don't go for the super-pain. At least, not yet, we'll see where it goes. ;)

Yeah, right now she's only really thinking "get away from me" - not something practical like having renters. Guess she'll just have to get a job...

Haha... that is kind of an intense conversation. Maybe that slayer healing applies to hangovers too?

I totally agree. And I think the worst part of it all was - that relationship was supposed to prove that *Spike* was evil. But it pretty much did the opposite, which is why we got Spike trying to rape Buffy, because, "hey, viewers, he's evil, stop being on his side!"

I think Willow's a little afraid to step out of the denial - because that would mean admitting she screwed up.

I think they never moved out because they thought they were helping. And, really, Tara moving out and Willow staying was even worse than when they both lived there - because without Tara, the burden of taking care of Willow and her addiction fell to Buffy.

I think Tara would probably want to go with Willow at this point... but Buffy doesn't want Tara there either because she's anti-people right now.

Willow's problems with magic addiction... well, no, they won't really be addressed because I don't think she HAS a magic addiction! (Here's where me and canon part ways.) I think Willow's addiction is to power... whether it's through her computer hacking skills, or magic, or some knowledge that she has that no one else does. She wants to be important, she wants to be needed, and she likes to get her way. It really bothered me that on the show they went the "magic is like crack" route because it felt cheap - making a thinly disguised "drugs are bad" metaphor instead of really delving into the character they've been setting up for 5 seasons. I could rant for hours about this, but I won't (send me an email if you're really interested, lol), so I'll just say in my world magic does not equal a drug.

I have to admit, I'm surprised at the one-sided reaction to this chapter. I didn't expect everyone to be so gung-ho about Willow moving out! ;-)

I think Buffy made the right choice (it's probably better for her mental health if she can at least have home as the place where she doesn't need to pretend) but she definitely made it for the wrong reasons. She's kicking them out because she's depressed and doesn't want to be around people - and she really shouldn't be left alone to be depressed. (On the other hand, her friends can't help her if they don't know what's wrong - but that's an argument for her to tell them, not push them away.)

Plus, she was kinda hungover. ;-)

Hmm... perhaps, but I'll have to torture them for awhile first. ;-) Besides, don't you think her friends would freak out if Spike started living with her?

Thanks... that's exactly why I started writing this, because season 6 made so many mistakes I couldn't help myself!

I'm sure she'll try! :)

Heh, admit it, you were thinking the same thing! ;)

This sounds like that "when did Buffy fall in love with Spike?" thread on the forum...

I wouldn't say for sure that she actually started to love him in season 5, but she definitely started to recognize that she could have feelings for him (despite her vehement denials), and that at least he was someone she could trust. Her death sort of disrupted that - but I think that's part of the reason why she's drawn to him when she comes back, to pick up where they left off. (Except for the part where it goes horribly wrong from there, and that's why my Buffy is slightly less denial-Buffy - but only slightly...)

I think Dawn pretty much said what all of us are thinking. :-) If we can't have Spike for ourselves, we want Buffy to have him.

I think Giles has an inkling that something's wrong, but whether he'll put it together or not... we'll see.

Heh, well, you know Buffy... sweet girl, not that bright...

Heh... no, he wasn't there. I think he'd run off to L.A. to torture Angel then. But hey - that was *magic* beer! :)

There will be kitten poker... just not quite yet.

Thanks for the reviews!

I always assumed (along with probably most people) that Spike didn't tell Buffy the same story we were watching in Fool For Love (because hello to the mocking... plus "I've always been bad") and I'd like to see the truth gradually come out, in little moments of honesty like this.

Thank you! I always thought the early period when Buffy came back from heaven must have been really nightmarish for her, and I don't think we really saw much of it on screen.

Don't worry... Willow will get her come-uppance. And then there shall be groveling. ;-)

Well... it's Spike, so probably good intentions, poor result...

Yeah... I felt like on the show we never really got a sense for how she feels. It seemed like "bitchy" was shorthand for "post-resurrection depression," but I think there's more to it than that.

Ohh, I like random. :) I think Buffy gets a bad rap for her mistreatment of Spike in season 6, so it sometimes gets overlooked that for a while there, she really did have serious, legitimate problems.

Thanks! Glad you're enjoying it so far!