When I watched this episode, I focused a lot on Riley and trying to understand his thoughts and where he was coming from, because I could tell he was heading toward a breaking point-- but I loved reading Buffy's more vulnerable and soft perspective when it's only her words that are angry, not the rest of her feeling. His saying that loving her is scary, and how that hits her like a shot through the heart was perfect here. And the focus isn't on only Riley and how he feels about Buffy and needign surgery and what he's been through, but that simple statement when Buffy wonders why loving her is so awful... It really resonates, and fits a lot of her relationship problems and feelings from the show.

Loved the confrontation with Spike and thought you did a fantastic job, with a lot of feelings and background and motives for both of them. It's cool that Buffy thinks that she has to kill Spike because he'd removed the chip, and not anything about always wanting to or righteous indignation. That she's gotten to know him in his human face and how dangerous and graceful he is as an opponent were great points.


I'm surprised by how much I like reading stuff so close to canon. Like Buffy's thought about Spike when she first bursts into his crypt: "righteous and indignant as if he hadn't been sitting there plotting evil things in his twisted, evil head". In my head, I just remembered that during the show, Spike had just been playing a silly guessing game with Harmony, and was totally bored by it. (is it bigger than a bread box?) there hasn't been a lot of Spike/Harmony and I'm wondering if that will change.

Sorry, leaned left when I should have leaned right - anyway, as I was saying, I'm really enjoying this story in all its complexity and originality. So glad you 're updating regularly. :)