Did Buffy ever actually plug in that golf cart? I don't think she did. I love how she thinks this is roughing it. Silly Buffy. That cabin sounds nicer than my apartment. Can i live there?

Oh no oh no oh no! I knew things were going way too good for them in Montana. And with such a happy moment of bliss between the two of them? Stupid evil getting in the way of the Slayers' happiness! Is Faith going to be okay? Is Buffy going to be able to reach her and save the day? Errggh!

Iiiiiinteresting. Very interesting. You've set the stage for several big battles, but honestly, I could give a shit about the Mayor right now. The Council needs every inch of every one of their asses thoroughly kicked. They don't seem much like they were the ones that planted Dawn in Buffy's house, though. They seem more like they're jumping on an opportunity as it presents itself. The three sisters on the other hand, playing with fate for their own entertainment? They seem like much more likely candidates. Hmm....

Hmm... red, yellow, and green. Is Dawn the key? Or something else? I'm still going with my theory that the three sisters created her just to mess with everyone. But why would the memory-altering magic spread nationwide? 

Omfg Oz! "Mailman." What the actual hell? Haha! 

I'm glad they're finally putting the pieces together and getting down to business to take down the Mayor. It's been a long time coming, even if Buffy and Faith were out of the Sunnydale picture for a little while. 

I loved the awkwardness of Buffy and Angel's conversation. Kinda reminded me of the cookie dough analogy. And i love that even though Buffy is still a spaz, she's mature enough here to tell everyone that yes, there is something between her and Faith, but no, it's none of their business. 

Can't wait to see how you'll wrap this up in two chapters!

Oh, Faith. Don't you know by now that you don't have to run away when things get big and scary? You've got Buffy and the super friends by your side now. 

Seriously, though, this was a super sweet ending to an awesome story and I am thoroughly ashamed I didn't read it when you originally wrote it! I would totally read a sequel to this if you wrote one, but I know I also have Walk the Line part 2 to catch up on, and I was very impressed by the first couple of chapters of Chase the Moon, so really, whatever you want to work on, I'll read it! :) 

I was a little put off by the time jump at first, and it's still a little disorienting to be jumping straight back into the story without much explanation as to who Selima and Ayan (which I thought was a typo for Anya at first) are, and why Willow moved out of Buffy's house, and who this new big bad is. At first, I thought (and was kinda hoping) that Willow was this big bad witch, but bringing Amy back into the mix is a welcome surprise. And how fitting, after spending a few years as a rat, that she's making her own animal army. Creepy stuff! 

Daaaaamn! THAT is an update! Tara's hurt, and as far as we know, it's by Willow's hand? Willow, who's been attempting to regain control of her powers and has now possibly gone off the rails again? Willow, who says it was Amy, not her, who hurt Tara? That's a whole damn story, and yet you've woven it all seamlessly into just one chapter. Holy hell. 

I love the way you blend canon into your universe. We don't know all of the details of what Willow did last year, but we know enough. I can't be the only one who's glad that Warren and a gun had nothing to do with it, though. 

The best part about this chapter, though, is the ending. Buffy and Faith have made huge strides in rebuilding their relationship, and figuring out how they fit in each other's lives in the futures. Faith on a first date? Friggin' adorable. But we kinda knew that was going to happen from the get-go. This Buffy has no bad history with this Faith, as out of whack as everything now is. Buffy was always going to at least try to connect with Faith and help her however she could. Willow and Faith, though? If there's anyone who hates Faith more than she hates herself, it's Willow Rosenberg. And now that you've thrown them into this situation at the end of this chapter, with Willow on the lam and asking Faith for help in proving her good name? Oh boy. Here we go. :) 

I concur with Marcie on this one. Christ on a cracker, indeed. 

The opening scene of this chapter is going to be burned into my brain for a long, long time. You've made Amy one of the creepiest villians this verse has ever seen. Have I mentioned yet how much I love your inclusion of the natural world in Amy's spellcasting? It harkens back to Willow's assessment of the UC Sunnydale Wiccan group, with its "blah blah sisterhood blah blah Gaia" love the earth but don't actually practice spells mantra, and kicks it up several thousand notches. Amy's possession of dead animals and chimerizing (I just made that up just now because I couldn't find a succinct verb for "to make a chimera") of living animals to fulfill her whims of evil is so good, and so terrifying. 

Like Topak, I, too, love the odd couple that is Marcie and Faith. The snark between the two of them is off the charts. As is the exhibitionism. Heh. 

Popples! Ha! I used to have a Popple when I was a kid! They were so cuddly! I love me a good obscure pop culture reference. :) Though the image of those things floating gently along the breeze reminded me of all of the seeds and pollen balls of several types of trees in my area that are blowing around in the wind right now, and I might be a little worried about getting to my car to go to work later. Hmm...

I hope there's no character limit on reviews, because this is fast becoming "bobina's stream of consciousness while she re-reads chapter 13."

It's interesting, after everything Amy has put them and the residents of Sunnydale through, knowing what she's willing to do to get her way, that the thought of killing her hadn't come up before. I like, though, that there's discussion about it, and that Buffy and Faith are entirely on the same page about it. It's easy to forget, at this juncture, that this Buffy and this Faith haven't known each other all this time. Buffy's experiences are not what everyone else remembers, and it was important to bring that up here. She and Faith have both taken human lives, and they're not willing to do that again. It's a strong conviction in both of them, and at this point in the story, it's a necessary one. I just hope it's worth something to both of them when Amy pulls out all the stops, as I'm sure she will. 

The second half of this chapter is insane. INSANE. But I think you knew that while you were writing it, because, at least from Amy's perspective (I'm leaving Willow out of this for the moment) it's also insanely fun. Have you been reading The Hunger Games? Or House of Leaves? Or both? Yikes, I think I just gave myself nightmares mashing those two together.

Anyway.

Amy's lair is ridiculous. I love that Buffy goes into it knowing right away it's a trap, but going ahead with the plan anyway. What other choice do they have? I also love that Amy and Willow are right there waiting for them, and that their first action is separating the group, forcing Buffy and Faith to make a choice over whether to stay and help Ayan and Dawn and Xander, or beating the bad guys. And I especially love that Tara is the one to make that decision for them. It really makes me wonder what was in that letter from Willow, especially at the end of the chapter. Was Tara anticipating this side of Willow? Was Willow seemingly sucking the life force from Tara part of the plan? Or has Willow really gone off the deep end? Because if she has, I don't see any of them surviving this. 

Speaking of surviving, Faith better not be dead. The way you wrote the group pulled through the surprise rapids and down the waterfall was way too realistic (I almost drowned once getting pulled over the falls while surfing - not fun), and even just that would be enough to exhaust even the most superhuman among them. Add a bleeding head wound to that? Faith better not be dead. 

I don't know how patient I'm gonna be waiting for the next chapter after all of this. Good God, woman!

I don't think I've said this, or if I have, I haven't said it enough, so I'm gonna say it now so I don't forget. I LOVE Marcie and Faith's friendship. I would read a whole story of the two of them just fucking with each other and other people and laughing about it. They're just so perfect for each other as friends I can't even stand it. Case in point, the opening scene of this chapter. It is, in a word, excellent. 

Also excellent is the immense amount of sarcasm about the "gas leak." The writers on BtVS always had a knack for social commentary without turning their show into a massive PSA, and it's good to see that reflected here. It is amazing and frustrating how communities large and small can pull the wool over their eyes and believe whatever bullshit stories to avoid their massive problems. It's funny when it's "gas leaks" and "gangs on PCP" covering up demonic activity. Less funny when it's the stuff that's been on the news lately. 

But I digress. 

It caught me off-guard the first time I read this how adamant Faith is about going back to prison. Hell, it caught me off-guard that she wanted to go back at all. And then I re-read the whole thing again and realized just how little time she's out, and it made a bit more sense. She broke out because she was needed, and other than dying a little bit, things have worked in her favor. She saved Angel, she and Buffy mended the last bits of their relationship, she made a friend in Marcie, she helped save the world from Amy. But she still feels like she has to lock herself away to atone for her past mistakes. Thank goodness for Lorne and Angel for showing Faith her other options and setting her on the right path. 

I'm not usually one for grand sweeping romanticism, but I love the end of this story. It's so perfect for this series to have Buffy and Faith, no matter what dimension either of them is from, coming back together with love in their hearts, coming home. I can't wait to read those one-shots you've promised, but for now, well done on a wonderful series. :)

Ugh, God dammit you're good.

The set up of this story is amazing, from the little kid making a wish (and shame on me, knowing that was the point of the story but not realizing that Hallie was Halfrek almost until the word "wish" was said aloud), to the dead and comatose and in between all rising but not coming fully to life (so creepy). Your execution of the story is impeccable, namely Jenny and Giles' reunion and Buffy's first thoughts going straight to Faith coming out of her coma .

How the hell do you write this well, this consistently? I could see all of this playing out in my head, almost like i was watching the show. The scene where they're ready to send Faith and Jenny back, especially. It reminded me so much of the end of I Will Remember You from Angel in it's emotional intensity. As much as I'm usually a fan of open endings, I'm glad you showed us Faith waking up for real, and remembering. 

Well done, my friend!

Uhh, absolutely no kicking you. I don't care what you write, as long as you keep writing beautiful stories like this! 

How in the hell do you pack such a punch into just a little nothing one-shot between Chosen and whenever? For instance: 

“You’re really just gonna leave again—we’ll go back to being strangers?”

“Isn’t that how you like it?”

“I’m telling you, it’s not.”

I mean, come on. That is one of the best dialogues between Buffy and Faith I've seen, and it's only three lines long! How do you do that? As hopeful and open-ended as Chosen left the story, I always wished Buffy and Faith had a real conversation like this about what was next and where they stood. 

I love the acknowledgement in this that Buffy finally realizes that they're all on borrowed time."She knows why Faith has a hard time believing her, but Buffy’s on her third life now, and all of them have been too short for regrets." There's no time life for grudges or weird mixed signals. They've all lost too much and they've seen the kind of risks and consequences that come with saving the world over and over, and I love that Buffy is willing to make her case for Faith being a part of their family. 

Beautiful little one-shot! More please of anything you want to write!

Author's Response:

Thank you! :) I don't know if it was my best dialogue, but I will certainly take the compliment! *Looks frantically at the number of things I need to devote to you for excellent reviewing vs. number of stories I actually have in process*