A Buffy that is mature and civilized and willing to fully accept the terrible hard lessons of life and love and stupidity and ignorance and her cruel and brutal dark side - It sucks to be Buffy right about now.  But you have given her peace and grace to help her learn how to deal with the loss of a great love that she has thrown away.  She did not deserve the love that Spike wanted to give her but anyone who has suffered through the loss of a loved one or has loved and not had it returned has to feel for her.    

Not so sure that I fully buy into Spike's ease with the situation; how readily he is able to let go of his feelings for Buffy and immediately return to his feelings for his wife and true love - Rebecca.  

It's a huge factor in their relationships that Buffy was cruel and a total selfish cow with him, but he accepted all her brutality as part of his love.  It just feels like he would be a hell of a lot more conflicted about his love for Buffy now.  

I love all your ideas of the true history of the Council of Watchers, the Slayers, and the former demon society and culture.  

Wow Buffy and selfless love! A miracle indeed...oh and the mystical world..that's magic too *G*.

Look forward to a tour of Midian. Is our Xander going to have his heart mended by Bo? Like her, he needs a teacher!

Kathleen

There's a mature Buffy after all. Glad they had that talk but do they realize that the only way they could be together will be if Rebecca didn't exist anymore. So much fun watching Giles act like a kid again. Wonderfully different chapter. Thank you.

that was absolutely exquisite! :) beautiful conversation, very well done and very true to the characters...and a very good place for buffy and spike to be at the moment :)