Good gracious. First off - this story ROCKS!

secondly - things were going so well! Yeah, Tara might have been trying to help Spike & a couple of those things needed to be said, but Buffy is right too. Tara doesn't know the whole story. So instead of things just progressing naturally & Buffy & Spike growing & learning together, Tara's gonna mess everything up! Oy. She means well, but she's letting her temper get the best of her & blowing up at the wrong person. Buffy made a few mistakes, true, but she is also trying. Riley is the one who deserves another beating.

Great chapter. And I LOVE Tara. I was about to stop reading before this chapter because Spike was so out of his character and I had thought you somehow *enjoyed* making him completely her property, like a furniture. But Tara saved it, I guess.

“When one person has all the power, and the other one doesn’t have the option of saying ‘no’…when you can literally *kill* him if he tries to stop you…there’s another word for that, Buffy.”

Wow. Just... very impressive.

Go Tara! Excellent update... For all the good Buffy does for Spike, she does need to change the nature of their, um, relationship if she wants a real relationship. As usual, fantastic work. :)

goodness.. go tara.. im just, speechless... i mean, that was just so amazing in how you explained everything.. just.. amazing.. there are no words..

Excellent! Tara is so right in all she says. The only thing "wrong" is that Spike really does love Buffy of his own choosing. I can easily see Tara being the one to bring it up thanks to years of her family making her a sort of slave...she understands the importance of free will and being able to exercise it without being punished. Dear Spike needs Buffy now and she will do the right thing which will include giving him choice. We all know he will chose her though! Well done!

Kathleen

Keeping my eye pealed for the next installment of this and the other as well since in that one DarkWIllow is circling like an angry shark! Poor Spike, I think he needs a volunteer to help mend his owies and I'm willing to volunteer LOL

You've got me crying now. Wow, that was touching. I agree with a lot of what Tara says, really, about what a relationship is, or should be. But at the same time I believe in Spike's love for Buffy, and that she feels or will feel the same. I don't think that Spike was ever *really* her slave, even though she treated him badly. He was more of a friend than a slave could be. Just my thoughts. Anyway, I'm loving it and really looking forward to your next chapter.
~ Nina

Interesting that it's Tara that makes these declarations. She's a good choice for it, having the underlying strength and determination that the others sometimes lack.

Yay - Tara rocks. She's said it all - and very eloquently! Nicely done. Buffy's been a real dumbass in this.

WOW, that was very good. Really makes you think. Great chapter!

poor buffy - although tara is right - a slave doesn't have a choice, it doesn't matter what he thinks. *hugs* excellant ficcage!

From Spike's POV some things may not be forced, but From Buffy's POV everything should be considered forced because there is no way for her to know the difference unless Spike is free to choose for himself.

Tara *does* have a pretty good point there.  I wonder what Buffy is going to do, now?

Tara is right on most of her points. Spike needs to be free to make his own choices.

Being a slave does not mean that everything Spike does is forced. It's just very hard to find out what is forced and what is not when Spike is not allowed to say no. The only way to test it is to set him free.

If Buffy would free Spike, it might do more damage than good right now since he would take it as a rejection. They need to build his strength, both physical and mental, before that happens.

I loved the chapter. I like Tara geting angry. Buffy really needed to be made to realise some things and there was nobody who can do that better than Tara. Xander or Willow just wouldn't be convincing, i just don't see them being concerned about Spike's feelings. Good move.
Keep writing!

great chapter! Tara's being a bit of a butthead, isn't she? Poor Spike. Poor Buffy. I have faith that Buffy will do what she needs to do to make it right

go Tara! please update soon