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Challenge #578 What If I Loved You? Part 1 by slaymesoftly Like your conclusion very much - Spike is so clever about understanding that Love is not something that should come Easy and Quick for them - It's an excellent contrast point to how she fell so totally and, IMO, overwhelmed by her love for Angel. Liked how you used the three CoW members as well as your treatment for Giles and Joyce. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for telling me so. Excellent way to end your story with all three characters bringing in a good Reality Check - it's a wonderful ending and starting to a realistic and mature relationship for them. I'm glad it worked for you. Thank you for telling me so. :) very sweet. and keeping Joyce healthy and alive... priceless! I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for telling me so. :) That was so sweet and completely reasonable. Thank you for such a smashing read, I've loved every chapter. Thank you for reading and commenting. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. :) Totally enjoyed! It's good to see Buffy really analyzing her feelings instead of ignoring them. I'm hoping for a sequel re the issue of unchipped Spike and the Scoobies. I'm glad you liked it. Sequel? Someday maybe. And as the best stories do, we end on a hopeful note for the future; a new beginning. Perfect. Thanks! Thanks for reading. I'm glad you liked it. :) sus 10/12/2015 09:48 am Epilogue I so love your stories. Thank you. Oh thank god that's over! Your lydia was a scary bint! LOL A bit oblivious and focused.... I can understand how Spike's presence could lowe a gal's IQ but Lydia's performance verged on reaching new depths! I thought Buffy was very restrained in the circumstances. Well done Giles with concise explanations - should satisfy everyone. That pesky "don't kill humans" thing. LOL Can't help thinking that Lydia has taken her humiliation a little too calmly. Wondering if she's going to engineer some kind of payback... LOL I don't think clinging to her denial well past the point that any sane person would have given up is exactly calm. And running out, clutching her shirt shut. And no, she's not that sort of person, just an easily deluded girl who's led a sheltered life. Hope we'll be seeing the back of Lydia asap, though we can all understand her obsession! Yes, it's easy to understand how she might want it so badly she imagines it. :) Intriguing that Lydia, George and Nigel don't appear to know of the two slayers phenomenon... I think Nigel knows about it, just didn't realize Faith was alive and thought the extra slayers were an aberration that came and went, leaving Buffy to carry on. George is muscle, so possibly not necessarily in on things that don't affect him. And Lydia is youngish and a researcher who focused on one particular vampire, so she's more interested in the slayers Spike has killed than which ones have come and gone since then. She may have known about Dru's getting rid of Kendra, but again, her focus would have been on Spike's having survived his fight with Buffy. pfeifferpack 10/10/2015 05:55 am Chapter Twenty-one I actually like Nigel and George. I think they have the possibility of being like Giles and having a more open mind about all those "facts" the Council has wrong. I think they actually like Spike and Buffy and that has to be good. Wonder what that vamp was up to? I almost expected Giles' car to explode (see another way Spike with the chip could have still killed his third Slayer if he wanted to!) Lovely update. Kathleen I think alleys in Sunnydale probably aren't just safe places to park, even if you are an experienced watcher. Vamps are lurkers. :) And yes, there are so very many ways Spike could have found to kill Buffy if he wasn't so hung up on doing it the hard way. :) The fact that he didn't, is one of those things that makes it possible to posit an early attraction, though, so we (writers) should be grateful for that logic laspse in canon. :) It's a great idea to have the watchers experience a bit of a reality check when it comes to a slayer's life. They should go back with glowing reports at this rate. One hopes! :) pfeifferpack 10/09/2015 06:51 am Chapter Twenty Love this chapter. Maybe the trio of Watchers will leave with sincere respect for our duo. One thing about Buffy and Spike, they do know how to show a Watcher a good time LOL. Kathleen They do. Perhaps (in this fic) not quite as good a time as one of them might like.... mwahahaha I'm coming to like George and Nigel.... never thought I'd say that. They grow on you.... :) I like your Buffy with her bit of jealousy - nice chapter with them together at his crypt - plus, good line from Spike about Lydia not seeing the good man right in front of her. Thanks. Swoooooonable speech from Spike, hopefully calm Buffy's jealousy ... a new experience for her. It might calm her down a little.... A neat glimpse at the way that Willow's arrogance and hubris are already affecting her attitude to magic. She thinks people who have decades of experience of magic can't possibly teach her anything of value. And it's clear that Tara is already becoming wary of her. Sweet moment between Buffy & Spike. Wonder how soon the Council bods are going to confront them about thier relationship... which they are so bad at hiding. Glad you enjoyed it. When you think about it, it's no wonder Giles (and others) thought Buffy was in love with Spike in season 7. His emotions were always visible, and Buffy's showed in the way she treated him. All they had to do was look and see what was under their noses. pfeifferpack 10/07/2015 09:12 am Chapter Nineteen Tara nailed it in one, humility. That was the real story with Willow and magic. Not addiction but character flaws. A combination of insecurity from years of being looked down upon and excess pride in her magic skills. Add to that the confidence in thinking she always knew the right answer for everything and everybody and you have a disaster waiting to happen. Starstruck Lydia watching Spike's soap is a hoot. So I wonder how long before the Council catch on. Spike needs to help Mr. Lovelorn Watcher and gain an ally! Lovely update. Kathleen Exactly. Lydia is being very silly - let's hope she gets over it soon. Thanks! Great placement of Spike's canon speech! Enjoyed the silliness at the end. Hopefully George is not of a mind to tell Travers his suspicions. Thanks. I'm glad you had fun with it. At least George seems a fairly decent chap. B and S are just adorable. :) I'm glad you're liking them. Buffy is so totally jealous! It's adorable. Buffy doesn't share well.... :) Hmm, George seems to be having a clue. Just because he's big and quiet, doesn't mean he's dumb.... Ha to the Council flunkies, they can put that in in their pipes and smoke it! Yeah, they're not going to get a lot respect from Buffy or Spike, I'm afraid. Love the banter. Looking forward to the demonstration patrol, but I'm a little concerned what 'test' the mage intends to do on Dawn, and what the result might be... Thanks. The patrol could be more exciting than they expected... LOL pfeifferpack 10/02/2015 05:07 am Chapter Seventeen I really, really enjoyed this chapter. The banter was a hoot and how they played the idiots from the council. I've always liked Lydia, she reminds me of fangirls of JM. Nicely done. Dawn was a clever little minx too with the instant teen attitude. I wonder about this mage though. I doubt it will be that easy to gat rid of these clowns. Excellent Kathleen Ah well, we'll see. I think it might be tricky dislodging Lydia. LOL Love the chapter! It was pretty silly of Buffy to be upset with Spike at the end, though. She should have known that everything Spike said was true or is she just itching for a squabble. She's over-reacting big time. But she's still getting used to the idea he's chipless and can't help worrying that he might kill someone - even accidentally. That trust has to be earned. Plus, he went kind of feral vampire on those guys.... It seems there's a way to go before Buffy can trust Spike -- he's trying his best though and for me that goes a long way. He is trying. But he's got some things to live down, and trust needs time. :) pfeifferpack 09/29/2015 08:06 am Chapter Sixteen Oh boy that moment of doubt is there. Just what they don't need. She has reasons for her trust issues but she really needs to get past them or they are not going to have the future they want. Xander needs to behave in front of the Council. I always wondered why they never took an interest in Dawn (Council or Giles himself for that matter) they just dropped that whole key from energy plot and made Dawn just another teen girl. I doubt that would have been the case. They should have at least wondered. Great update. Kathleen Joss definitely dropped the ball with Dawn (although I'm doing anything with her in this story either - but often I do). Xander will be fine. He's not a jerk in this story. :) Trust has to be earned. He's working on it, but this is pretty early on for her to trust him completely. IMHO, anyway. Can't help wondering whether Buffy is ever going to trust 100%. I think the Council visit is going to prove interesting. Can't wait for Xander & Spike trying to pretend that they're friends.... Someday she will - but season 5 might be a little too soon.... Charming farewell message from Riley, what a git! The domestic scene at Revello was charming, long may it continue! :) Yeah, I think Riley's a done deal. :) pfeifferpack 09/27/2015 09:01 am Fifteen Jerk Riley but Graham was decent enough. Giles is a realist and Spike is way above Riley anyway. Buffy has total trust.....the chip is gone but she is not nervous at all. She knows her vamp. Kathleen Giles is a realist - and one who sometimes even likes Spike. :) Riley is a wanker. But then we already knew that. Thankfully, Graham now knows that. I wonder whether Joyce has indeed jinxed herself.... I think everybody's about done with Riley. We'll have to see about Joyce... poor Buffy... and lydia was quite fetching... funny how 'chalmers' caught on as her last name... have you read "Lydia Chalmers' Thesis"? (the origin of the last name) This is the only place I know it's still up... there used to be a full version somewhere... If I can find it, would you like to see it? http://www.teaattheford.net/conversation.php?id=771 (not the full multimedia version) I feel like I probably read it a long time ago. I didn't know that was the origin of her last name, but I know I've always thought it was, so I must have gotten it from somewhere! Lovely interaction, the teasing with the underlying difficulties really works for Spike and Buffy. Thank you. It's senseless to pretend they aren't going to have some issues to work out, yes? :) pfeifferpack 09/26/2015 06:12 am Chapter Fourteen I really am enjoying how you are handling the whole Glory arc in this story. Happy that the blasted chip is out even it it was a horribly painful way to have it happen. I particularly liked Spike hearing and responding to Joyce comparing him to Angel. Lovely chapter. Kathleen Thank you, Kathleen. :) Good chapter. I wonder how the watcher-fan visit will go and just how jealous Buffy will be and how long it's going to be before Lydia figures it out..... All good questions.... :) Don’t go forgettin’that and thinking I’m some kind of undead housepet.” Best line ever!!! :) Thanks! I see Riley still thinks he's the boss of everyone - what a complete an utter git! I don't think it's sunk in yet how wrong he his. You've written him perfectly and happily Buffy has consigned him to history. Nothing like some quality time with Spike to make it easy to forget anybody else. :) pfeifferpack 09/18/2015 02:53 am Thirteen Great ability for Spike to monitor Dawn while ... erm ... occupied LOL. Handy! Riley is a jerk (surprise anyone?) he thought he had the right to veto Buffy's choices. Yeah huh. That'll work, just ask Giles. Lovely update. Kathleen Thank you. *hugs* LOL, yeah, Buffy really doesn't like to be told what to do... And hopefully, that'll be the last we see of Riley.... Aw... lovely... We can hope. I think Buffy's done with him anyway. :) Captain Self-important certainly had an inflated idea of his charms! He may be a mite over-confident..... Riley's arrogance makes my skin crawl with the way he sarcastically says "Slayer". Oh, boy, looks like the blank might hit the fan in the next chapter. LOL I think Buffy's got it under control. But she might have to go all Slayer on them. :) Good for Giles! Oh, Riley, you arrogant twat. You just don't get it.... No, he doesn't. :) pfeifferpack 09/10/2015 08:45 pm Chapter Twelve Nice bluff Spike. Naturally he won't kill them because he knows he would have no chance at all with Buffy. Heck she even thinks they should have left Ben alive (duh??? Giles needs to explain shades of grey to her and that not all humans/souled beings are okay). Loved her reaction to Riley and his desire to fight Spike. Spike earned the chance to thrash them around a bit. Her casual no killing comment and sitting down to watch was so funny. The other soldier with Riley had to be given food for thought over that and having seen what Spike actually did do in the fight. Very enjoyable update. Kathleen Thank you. :) At last Buffy is letting her common sense peep out. Great fight with Glory, the bits of brain were particularly gory! Poor Spike. I hope he can spare them. :) Worth it to lose the chip, though. I am so happy to see you back from vacation. Hope you had a grand time! It's a really good thing to see Spike chipless. I have faith in his good heart even if Buffy doesn't. And now he can protect himself from Riley if need be. Thanks. It was a lovely trip, if a bit exhausting. :) I tend to believe that chipless Spike, once he's fallen for Buffy, would be able to control himself most of the time. And I don't like seeing him helpless. That may or may not be a realistic viewpoint, but it's mine and I'm sticking with it. :) sus 09/06/2015 06:31 pm Chapter Eleven The story is getting better by each chapter. Oh dear - but no pressure, right? LOL Thank you for thinking so. :) pfeifferpack 09/06/2015 05:20 am Chapter Eleven YAY and welcome back. Great update. I like this take down of Glory/Ben. Yes in canon as here Ben is culpable. He knew what Glory was up to and aided her on the way. He was not an "innocent" human. I wonder what Buffy would think if Spike were to kill, say, Jeffrey Dahmer or Pol Pot or another serial or mass killer? Would she still think the villain was the vampire? Excellent as always. Kathleen Thank you, Kathleen. <3 Excellent solution. Although it's unfortunate that Riley knows that the chip is out. He could be trouble... I'm sure he will be.... :) Saggit 08/20/2015 07:56 am Chapter Ten You seem to do a lot of Riley-Buffy-Spike fics these days, and they all work--perhaps because you find plot points that clearly differentiate them from one another. This is no exception. I've enjoyed it (as well as the Nin chapter, an obvious allusion to Anais Nin, and yes, I'm joking, but meaning nothing nasty) and the twists you've cleverly worked on your theme. I can only hope Spike gets his chip out, given the amount of tension you've worked up around it, but it's fascinating in the meantime watching the relationships between the two pairings develop over time. And as usual, you don't make Riley an unreasaonable monster, but someone who is simply unequipped to deal with the situation he finds himself in. I've sometimes wondered why the series writers didn't give him a less stereotyped, more interesting resolution that showed future development, rather than the rub-it-in-her-face-and-destroy-Spike solution they resolved on. Much prefer your look into how things might have gone, in many different, interesting ways. I'm so glad you're enjoying the fics. I do try not to revisit something unless I have a fresh slant, but I'm sure there's a lot of repetition in the early fics. Thanks for reading and taking the time to tell me you enjoyed it. :) pfeifferpack 08/16/2015 05:14 am Chapter Ten Loving this one. Trying to catch up on all the great fic that has suddenly graced our fandom. This one is top drawer (like you could do otherwise?). Have a great trip, enjoy and we'll be waiting for more when you're back. *hugs* Kathleen Thank you, Kathleen. There has been a real flurry of good stuff suddenly, hasn't there? It's so encouraging to know that there are talented people out there writing in our fandom - some old, some brand new. Yay for new blood! (so to speak... lol) Maybe Glory could knock some sense into Riley. Spike was wonderful with Dawn, love their relationship. Hmmm - what an idea - let Riley fight off Glory. LOL Nah, not much of a contest, unfortunately. I do like me some Spike and Dawn friendship. sua 08/14/2015 07:23 pm Chapter Ten Hate the long wait, now that you have spoiled us with regular chapters. But I'll be patience since it's such a god story and well written. I hate to do that to everybody, but I really wasn't expecting it to get so long and thought I'd be able to stay ahead. *sigh* Thanks for reading and understanding. And it all seemed to be going so well. Silly Buffy, going off like that without backup. And of course the poophead is stalking her, but perhaps just this once he'll be useful. Does it seem to you that Buffy is a magnet for stalkers? First Angel. Then Spike. Now (here) Riley, then in S7 Wood tells her he's been 'watching' her while she's been patrolling and she reminds him of his mother... creepy or what... I won't promise to be patient while I wait for the next update, but I shall be waiting.... Wow, I hadn't thought of that, but you're right. They've all stalked her to some extent. Brrrrr! LOL Nothing I can do about it. Thought it was going to be a much shorter story and I'd we well done with it by the time we left. I promise to work on it at least a little while we're gone. Riley is digging a very deep hole for himself! He's good at that... Enjoyed! Riley is far worse than Quentin Travers in his pomposity and arrogance after appearing so cornfed and easy going before. I hope Buffy has her eyes open. I think they may be a bit more open than they were in canon, but still.... Getting more and more intriguing. And Riley is still a poophead. Alas, Riley remains a poophead. :) Amaya 08/11/2015 12:36 pm Chapter Nin More, more, PLEASE. :) It's really weird that the spell has not dissolved for Buffy. That's some powerful specific magic. ? Which spell has not dissolved for Buffy? The general removal spell removed the spell on Dawn for everyone. And it also removed Glory's spell that hid her alter ego from humans. Have I left a plot hole looming somewhere? *bites nails* Amazing what a difference a little jiggling of the timeline can make, loving it! Thanks. Yeah, it really doesn't take much of change make everything after that different.... Please update as soon as possible so many questions Sooner rather than later, I hope! Smart work by Spike, here's hoping it makes the difference it deserves. He's trying..... Oh, boy, there is going to be fun with the Ben/Glory spell sort of like Who's on First I can imagine. I hope Spike can have some patience. Spike's a pretty smart boy - it may not come to that this time. :) Well, thank goodness there was just innocent TV watching. I would have been a bit miffed at Buffy if there had been more. Yay! Spike saw the transformation! Hope Giles remembers the note and his resolve to do something about it. Good luck, Joyce.... Yeah, haven't made Riley as much of a jerk as usual, but Buffy's not interested anyway. :) Amaya 07/31/2015 11:57 am Chapter Six Please update soon. I want more. :) great "a girl like me." exchange - it tells so much about Buffy and being a Slayer. Thanks. Nice variation on this timeframe. Well, it was off canon as soon as Spike stepped in, so variation will be the name of the game from here on out. There is so much on Buffy's plate right now. Ugh on grabby Riley adding to her problems. I wonder if Ben is watching Joyce carefully too. Enjoying! I'm hoping at this point that Ben is still fighting Glory for his humanity, but you never know... Probably a good idea to get Joyce out of the hospital as soon as possible. Amaya 07/29/2015 10:38 pm Chapter Five I like the story so please update as soon as you can. :) And it looks as though Joyce had a blank moment with Dawn, and Riley says his meories of her are fuzzy? Does that signal his mental state? And Riley is oblivious to the awkwardness and the fact that he is utterly redundant excecpt as a driver. And why on earth does Buffy invite him in? Twit! Spike was waiting just down the street! Hopefully, he'll wait and Riley with finally get a clue and leave.... I think it may signal something about how strong the spell that makes everyone think they've known Dawn for years is. ;) I don't think Riley's oblivious, just out of the loop in terms of where he stands in Buffy's life. Technically, he is still her boyfriend, although this is the time when that began to fall apart.... Amaya 07/27/2015 12:37 pm Chapter Four Please update as soon as you can. Sooner or later. :) I just adore Protective!Spike! Riley is a jerkface. That's not quite as bad as a poophead, but worse that a plain jerk. Oooh! Did Joyce collapse? I'd forgotten that we were heading into her illness... :( ... good thinking.... :) Poor Spike, wants to be protective, doesn't want to drive her away. Although she doesn't mind if he protects Dawn, so that's a step in the right direction, right? :) Thanks for reading. TextLove the story and need more soon. And I want to say that I am glad you are still writing in this universe. I have been reading Buffy fiction since I discovered it back when Buffy was still filming. There are so many authors that have given up writing that it is depressing. So Kudos to those still writing and the new authors coming up. May it go on for many more years. I'm glad you're enjoying it. Thanks for taking the time to tell me so. So both Spike and Buffy can play the game of "if I don't say it, it does not exist". Cleverly living in that river. They have more in common than they might think... lol Thanks for reading. Well, I'm hooked, of course, as I am by all the stories you write. Very much looking forward to how you develop this. Thanks. I hope you enjoy the rest of it. :) Amaya 07/23/2015 08:10 pm Chapter Three I like this story so please update as soon as you can. I'm glad you're enjoying it. As long as I can stay several chapters ahead in my writing, updates should be fairly frequent. Two things I love. The Spike & Giles dynamic, now that Spike has emphatically proven that he doesn't want Buffy dead, and the teasing Buffy & Joyce dynamic, particularly Joyce's continuing denial about just how violent and dangerous Buffy's calling is. Now we know where that propensity in Buffy originated! Thank you! You're liking some of my favorite things. :) A bit of honesty from both parties is making a world of difference. Love it! Thank you! Hope you enjoy the rest of it. My favorite thing in this chapter was the Harmony bit. Buffy let on to her jealousy which did not escape Spike. Buffy doesn't like to share her toys - even when she doesn't know they are going to be toys yet. :) I like this challenge response so far. I like the change to the Slayer conversation they have and how Spike found out about Buffy's first thought when it comes to a superpowered person. I am curious to see what happens to the end of FFL though now that Spike isn't angry at her. I feel like Spike being there for her after she found out about her Mom was a really important moment in their relationship. I can't wait for more. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. Thanks for taking time to tell me so. No worries. That important scene on the back porch is still going to happen. :) Now, that's more like the way it should have gone, and would have if Buffy hadn't been so self-righteous and bitchy. Well, in fairness to Buffy, in canon it wasn't Spike who rescued her. But I do think she was unnecessarily mean and nasty to him in that episode. Apparently no one every told her you catch more flies with honey. He was a bit of a jerk too, though... I've made them both a little less antagonistic. :) I love how you right Buffy and Spike and I'm very much liking this Giles - Great to be reading SMS again. I'm glad you're enjoying it. Thanks for telling me so. Buffy - never thinking that a simple "ask him" without all her hostility might get the same results or even better results - Nope. That wasn't her MO at the time. Isn't it lovely without Riley sticking his oar in! Giles was particularly drole I thought. Ah well. It's not like Riley isn't around. :) BuffyRat 07/18/2015 07:11 am One Lovely start. Amazed that I don't think I've encountered this scenario in my 14+ years reading fan fiction. I can barely believe it's been that long! Love the Giles Spike dynamic. Hoping for many more awkward moments as they find there way to each other. Awesome. Thanks. I'm pretty surprised too, but I don't know that I have seen this particular twist. So, yay for the challenger! Nice twist, with Spike saving Buffy from the self-stake rather than Riley (where's he?). Looking forward to your version of the 'Death Wish' lesson from 'Fool For Love'. Well, that was the challenge - what if it had been Spike. I have to say, I don't know that I've read that twist before, so how cool is that? :) Next chapter has the lesson, although with less flashbacking and angst. This is my absolute fave episode that this fic is based around. You usually have such neat titles. Are you going to change this? Will Riley intervene somehow and change events since he is the boyfriend? LOL I usually suck at titles. My former/sometimes beta Always_jbj has been responsible for many of them. In this case, not knowing exactly where it's going yet, I'm hesitant to call it anything. I will, eventually, though. Just have to wait until the right thing crosses my mind. I'm sure Riley will try to intervene - the question is, what will happen then? The premise itself has turned canon on its ear, so it just depends on how AU I want to go from here. | |||
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