so sad, poor buffy, poor spike, hard on them both, they need communication, i guess it takes time.

so sad, poor buffy, poor spike, hard on them both, they need communication, i guess it takes time.

AHHH!! I swear you're KILLING me here! I can't take the emotional rollercoaster anymore :'( I loved the hand holding scene but you're breaking my heart here for both of them. Poor Spike and poor Buffy!!!

And I exhaled. Great chapter, luv. I'm glad to see them becoming friends once more, and not the fragile friendship that started before she died. This time its real and she doesn't have to worry about what her friends will thing and say. I'm also still loving how Angel is supporting both of them, even though I know it's hard on him to a point. I mean, we know Angel has sorta moved on, knowing there can be nothing more between him and Buffy other than friendship. Looking towards more.

oof. I can't decide if I'm happy aobut what happened in that chapter or not.
You are far too good at putting us through an emotional wringer, DoS.

it is very good to see buffy maturing (with the help of "that Joyce-like voice in her head." excellent read, thank you.

First of all, that movie sounds so bad, it could only have been on Lifetime. It would probably have one of their self-explanatory titles like, "My Husband Is A Serial Killer." :)

Ever since Spike came back, I still cannot help but to feel for Buffy. It's bad enough when someone you love is hurting, and you're completely helpless to make it better, but you at least are able to hug them, or get them to talk about their feelings. Buffy can't even do that, so she's even more helpless than usual. Sure, Spike let her hold his hand when neither of them was expecting it, but as soon as she tried to comfort him with words, he took that away. I am in no way poo-pooing Spike's feelings or what he must be going through, but Buffy's hurting as well.

It's interesting to see their roles in Season 6 reversed. Perhaps Buffy will realize what Spike must have felt like every time that he reached out to Buffy and she pulled away. And perhaps Spike will realize that he's pulling away like Buffy did when he tried to comfort her. Then maybe they will both realize that the other person wants to help out of love, and eventually we can all get our freaking happy ending out of these freakishly stubborn characters! :grr:

Okay, I'm done now.

Aw, I love Buffy comforting Spike and poor Spike's serious emotional trauma- definitely heartbreaking stuff you've illustrated so beautifully. Excellent chapter!

Moving right along in a wonderful way to cement the relationship!

I'm so happy that they've become friends, it's great to see them build up a relationship.

aww

*whimpers* I don't handle sad stuff well.... are we getting to the happiness soon?

Glad they're finding a comfortable friendship between them. It's good that she's a little jealous of Angel and the comfort that Spike has found in him. Perfect premise for her to interact with him on a more personal level. Happy to know that she realizes, this is all about him now. Well written DOS, thanks for the update.

Ick - that TV movie was creepy - was that the one Xander was watching before he went on his rampage? And, can Spike sneak up the stairs later? Intense.

"And these days, the Summers clan included Spike."

Yay! Very promising. And I like Buffy's Joyce-voice and Spike's self-restraint and ... well, just yum!

Ah yes! Progress is made at last. They are building trust by actually thinking of the other person and their needs once again like before all the bad of S6 started. The longest trips are begun with the smallest steps. This time they are walking side by side and in time hand in hand.

Lovely update. Enjoy Angel acting as counselor...THAT should give him plenty to brood over *G*. Willow at Xander's side makes sense but also scares me a bit. Giles and Anya are a treasure. So glad Giles is not reverting to the "Spike is a soulless vampire" mode...he's learned!

Wonderful.

Kathleen

Two steps forward and one step back -- the way it's got be. Spike's got a long way to go and Buffy means well but she's not exactly queen of tact!

Good for her- she stopped herself from telling him how he should feel.

And, I think at least part of the emotions he was feeling were hers. Spike's always been very perceptive when it comes to her. He has to know how much she wants to be close- how much she wants to touch him.

The fact that she is respecting his wishes is going a long way to showing him how much she really does care; how much she loves him.

Yep, that's how it's going to be for a while....time will close the wound, eventually, but forgetting takes, well, a hit to the head, or a spell, or dementia....

Thank goodness, she's learned, and is *conscious* of what she does. We finally have a Buffy that thinks before speaking.

WOW Great chapter! Poor Spike! But Buffy is doing a good job. I can't say for once if i would have been able to do any differently. BTW I think its great Angel is being so helpful, I acually like him in this story.... ummm strange!