Life, freedom, feelings. There was no place for them here. This was hell, and she its most valued possession. Buffy's life takes an unexpected turn after being kidnapped, and as the line between sanity and madness starts to blur, the opportunity of freedom will present itself. Will she find enough will to live to take it, or will she take the easy way out and give in to the pain consuming her soul? And what does one ruthless vampire thirsty for her life have to to do with all this?

Grief pushes Buffy to do something really stupid. Now she has to deal with the consequences. Things get more complicated when she discovers that Spike is no longer dead.

Summary: rewrite of end of Season 6 /Season 7 and goes seriously AU. Buffy battles her feelings for Spike. A new arrival in Sunnyhell complicates her life as well as simplifies it…

For the Anniversary Art Challenge at EF. Banner by Angelis Amy
Banner story criteria:
Characters: Buffy and Spike obviously, the Scoobies, Drusilla.
Rating: PG-13 and above
Season/Episode: Season 2 - Becoming Part II
Must have:
1. Spike removing Drusilla from the Mansion, but then deciding to go back and help Buffy in her fight against Angelus.
2. Willow's spell to re-ensoul Angel fails. It's Angelus that gets sucked into the hell dimension.
3. Buffy and Spike forming an uneasy friendship (since he helped her save the world and all) and then a relationship developing from there.
Can have:
1. Xander being a jerk to Spike, but coming around eventually. 
2. Willow suggesting to Buffy that she tries the soul spell on him, and Buffy rejecting the idea.
Can’t have:
1.     Angel bashing. 
2. Spike/Drusilla reconciliation.
3. Buffy leaving Sunnyvale for L.A. Either Spike, or one of the Scoobies should bust her trying to escape.

Far away from home, in a boarding school on the Isles of Scilly, Buffy is trying to find her place in the world. Finding a kindred spirit in a boy named William Pratt, she has no idea of the obstacles they’ll have to face. The school is full of dark secrets that could put the students' lives in danger and when a mysterious woman steals William’s soul, everything falls apart. Can true love really surpass all? The story starts out as All Human, but it’s not. *Nominated at the Sunnydale Memorial Fanfiction Awards Round 21 for the Best AU.* Thank you! :)

Goes AU immediately after Spike leaves the bathroom in Seeing Red. After nearly committing an unspeakable crime against the woman he loves, Spike faces the ordeal of his unlife when Robot-Boy Warren discovers what his chip does and how to control it. Will Buffy be able to help him? Will she even *want* to? A/N: This story was inspired by two great fics which used the same idea, “Chain” by irfikos, and “Leashing the Beast” by Nos. This idea has been done many times, I know, but I’ve had my own ideas about it for some time and thought I’d give it a try. WARNING: Very very dark pretty much throughout the story. Involves torture, non-con m/m slash (not graphic, mostly implied), very disturbing. Spike is very badly victimized in this story. Will be Spike/Buffy pairing eventually, but will take a little while to get there.

Alternate reality. Buffy starts as a normal college girl. But her life is slowly turned upside down beginning with the day she’s unexpectedly in danger. Hired by chance to protect her is Spike, a vampire with a reputation for doing business with anyone for enough money. She’s less than thrilled, but finds herself drawn to him even as she realizes he’s more than he seems. But humans aren’t the only ones after her, and when she’s called as the Slayer, her whole world changes. Things with Spike, who she’s discovered some realities about, are no longer as simple as they seemed. But being sent to the Hellmouth and realizing the high death rate of her calling, Buffy hires Spike as backup with the only thing she has left—Slayer blood. Winner of 20 awards!