ouch and yep how true

excellent, thank you

oh! How awful! I think Buffy just needs to get out of there, and take a bus home or something. Give everybody some breathing room.

Yup...and being mated doesn't really help at the moment, since they didn't go about it in the "traditional" way - friends, lovers, mates. They are mates by "decree", not by bond, if you catch my meaning....like a marriage based on money, in that they HAD to finish the bond like this just to save the world.
And this Buffy and Spike definitely aren't friends, yet. The most accurate term we can use so far is 'lovers', or even f@*k buddies. Yes, they've made a chemical connection, but there's no personal intimacy...not yet....because there's so much they have to learn about each other, especially on the Buffy knowing Spike side..and that's part of the problem right now. She doesn't know him.

They're trying to deal with majorly heavy issues when they're still in the infatuation stage. You've really set up a lot for them to rise above, JL.

Ow, ow, owee! Big, bad hurts coming for the both of them now; hurts of the heart and psyche that are harder to heal. I had a nice time tonight, catching up with the story.

Damn! I could kick them both in the ass. Everytime her confrontational slayer side comes out, how else is he suppose to feel? She is the slayer but she's also Buffy, something he should have recognized. He knew he was talking to Buffy just then, he should have acknowledged that. They're mated, they have to try harder to work this out. They both love each other but not everything that easy to fix, but since there is no divorce from a mating they do have to fix this. After all...this is a Spuffy fic! Great job with their conflict, thanks for the fabulous read.

Man, do these two have some real issues to deal with before they can move on. Love to see how you're going to untangle the mess that their lives have become now. Not that their lives were all that neat and tidy prior to Willow's little ritual from hell. lol Of course, now that they're back on a more or less equal footing, they might at least have a chance of working things out between them.

Hmmmmm....I really don't know what to say about this chapter, honestly. I am kind of torn on how I feel about it. I understand that she wanted him to look at her, and she "should" have backed off when he asked her too, BUT, he DOES know that it isn't the slayer demon, so, on one hand, I think he needs to relax a bit. BUT, on the other hand, he has been traumatized by her hand, and she should not have FORCED him to look at her. BUT, on the other hand (yes, yes, one to many hands, I know), he shouldn't have refused to call her Buffy. I think that he needs to understand that while he got the brunt of the abuse, she had to WHACH herself do it, and not be able to stop the demon. He needs to see that she needs help and support from him, and much as he needs it from her. They both need to help each other to work through the issues, and I think it would go much quicker for them both. Otherwise, they will push each other further and further away.

You can't win, can you? You have Spike being wimpy and I am pissed. But you have him stand up and Elizabeth Anne Summers is pissed.

Though, personally, I'm rather gladI'm happy :P

*sob* I dont know how much more of this angst I can take:( Poor Spike! Poor Buffy!!:(

Haven't reviewed in quite a bit, though still avidly reading each update!

I agree with the review by Bridget. (and that's all I'll say about that. *grins*)

As always, looking forward to the next chapter!

JL twists the knife. You are awful and mean and excellent.

That's it. I say lets stake Spike and get her a new vampire boytoy... big jackass....

Ain't that the truth!!

I understand Buffy wanting to make things right,but don`t push it,even though it`s obvious that Spike wont get over it without starting seeing her as Buffy...this story really gets me.I can`t wait to read the next chapter!!!Excellent story (still!!)!!!

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww oh my god, how long til they work something out? Do you know you've written three novels here? This is a freaking SAGA

Good chapter. Someone mentioned that The Slayer Buffy is like a souless Buffy, which is a very good comparison. It also works into my reasoning for people saying Spike needs to back off because he killed people before.

Spike and the Slayer are two different animals, as it were. Spike is a killer with honor. He sought the strongest being and fought them, knowing he could die too. Yes, he was wrong, but one must understand that what he did was not the worst he could have done.

The Slayer went after the week, did not kill them but decided to TORTURE them. That is the big thing I think people miss in your story. Spike was tortured. By a violent, arrogent creature that wanted to break him.

Correct me if I am wrong...but the Slayer demon is exactly like Angelus.

I wonder if that is a factor: We know Angelus tortured Spike in his fledgling days. Could this be one of the reasons Spike is having trouble? That through Buffy's mistake, he just relived his weakest moments in life at the hands of Angelus?

oh no. That didn't go too well.

Special Ed Buffy! When will she learn to just Back Off? She can't convince him that she's changed while she has him pinned against a wall and is giving him orders, for crying out loud! :(

That chapter had tears in my eyes. Thank you for the quick update.

Ouch! And we all know how well Buffy handles the truth. I hope she doesn't hit him, since we know that's her first response to Spike. Can't wait for the next update.

I know that Spike has been hurt. But I think that he has to remember that he has a demon side also and that he has also hurt people and Buffy (pre-chip) Spike's view of Buffy is somewhat unfair because he wanted her to accept the same qualities that exist in him. He has to do the same. I will be interested to see how you get them back together because I think that Spike is also playing poor pitiful me. Look what you did to me. Great chapter. What will be done about Willow? She after all was the cause of the slayer side coming out. Great chapter.

And there's the heart of the matter. Because the "Slayer" was an exaggerated version of Buffy's own personality. *We* know enough about Buffy, that if she was soulless and evil, that's how she would have been in the same situation. And Spike's studied her long enough, from an outside perspective, to know it.

Ooh! Spike snaps back. Good on him - he really needs to do this for the sake of his own recovery.

I'm glad that Joyce is being the support they both need. She really is a tower of strength whatever her eye colour. :)
(Sorry about being so anal about that BTW - it just really is a pet peeve. I'm an artist, so the first thing I always notice is people's eye colour).