I was really torn when I saw you'd updated, all these conflicting emotions warring within me. Hope, fear, anxiety, it's taken me hours to summon the courage to sit down and read. Obviously I'm really glad I did, this chapters answered a lot of questions. We finally know who the kidnappers are, they sound like global dynamic. We now know who Shaggy is, he's a bit of a smarmy git isn't he, and it looks as though Willow's in the clear. I'm taking comfort from their apparent ignorance of the supernatural world and their nauseating smugness. They seem well prepared, but they didn't plan for Spike, he's Buffy's ace in the hole. It was heartening to see all the Slayer's rally to Buffy's cause, and adding Max to the mix will be interesting. He's a nice guy, so hopefully seeing those two together will give him some closure. I can't wait for your view of the immortality question. Did something physically alter within Buffy to cause it, or is it something to do with the spell. I keep remembering the urn breaking and Osiri's wrath. I was surprised in the show that there weren't any repercussions from that. I know it's useless to speculate, I never know what will happen next, I just trust that we're going in the right direction. As always brilliantly written, had to keep getting up after reading a few lines to pace because of the tension. I wasn't too affected by Dr Berger's claims to be acting for the greater good. I'm all into alleviating the suffering of others, but experience leads me to think that if they did develop anything useful from their experiments, it would only benefit the rich and the powerful. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, or as Buffy would say, you can't do good, by doing evil. Loved it, I can breathe again, just for a bit.
You know, I thought I would have lost you since you were happy with the story ending with the reunion. Thanks for continuing with it! I'm surprised that the chapter has been so tense for readers - I guess, because I know what's going to happen. :-) The point of this story is to entertain diehard Joss, Buffy and Spuffy fans, so rest assured that I'm not interested in the dashing of hopes. I'm also not a sadist. I don't find pleasure in writing or reading about the torture of our heroes. Struggles, however, are their bread and butter. Buffy and Spike need struggle. They thrive in the face of it and inspire us fans to be brave. :-)
I hope the next chapters are more fun than tense for you, and that you can approach the story going forward as a welcome indulgence. As always, thanks so much for reading and reviewing, Jane.
Cheers!
What a pleasure to see an update on this fic. I love this story and...yikes! what is going to happen to Buffy? I'll be checking often for the next installment.