So I meant to review this last night, but I fell asleep first, and now I'm kinda glad I did, because it put a little more distance between "Ashes" and "Shot in the Dark." As I said there, and as I'm sure I'll say again the next time you post a new story. 

I love this. So much. 

Your writing never ceases to amaze me. You put so much into so few words. I know this is just a ficlet, a huge idea in a small package, but it packs a punch, and speaks to a lot of larger themes that its 1300 words would have you believe. I could see everything so clearly. Even Buffy's hope that she could save Dawn, that they'll find her and end all of these huge things, was a tangible presence.

It gets tossed around a lot, the idea of Buffy losing and a Big Bad really, truly taking over the world. I rarely see it done so effectively as this, mainly because you brought the real world into it. They don't live in a vacuum. This world they're always trying to save is full of real people, just trying to live their lives, but it also contains a government that isn't just going to allow an invasion of any kind to go on without intervention. Is bombing most of the west coast, with millions of people still living there, the way to do it? Apparently not, because the demons keep coming. But only Buffy and Faith and a handful of others would know that.

And that's what really makes this story click for me: even after the world they know is gone, due to demons, due to bombs from their own government, Buffy and Faith push on, fueled by each other and the only truth they've really ever known as Slayers: save the day. 

Whatever that means anymore. 

Author's Response:

You are like a master reviewer. I need to learn your secrets. Every time I review something I'm like uhhhh words, how do they work?

So I ducked back in here because I got a notification that someone had reviewed one of my fics and it's been forever and a day so I decided to poke my head around and see what's new. And lo and behold, you've got a fantastic new story up! I am loving this. I have spent all afternoon reading this (when I should be job searching and writing cover letters - blah) and I absolutely must know what happens next.

Your writing is beautiful as always, and Faith and Buffy's relationship development is everything I have ever wanted. Not-Faith is creepy as fuck (especially with how little we know about her, other than scary possessive spirit), stealing Faith's body and reading up on the Slayer line. I love Buffy trusting her gut about knowing something was off with Faith and not waiting around for Willow or Giles to figure it out, too, but taking things into her own hands. Her conversations with Faith, once she can see Faith again, are wonderfully in-character and I can feel both her desperation and Faith's frustration at the situation. 

Ah, what a story to jump back into these two with! Can't wait for more!

For fuck's sake, Willow, I told you that plant was bad news!! 

 I liked that Faith was the one to slay the demon plant. It's a little thing but it works well to solidify her place in the group just as much as her being a part of the family post-slay cheesecake celebration. 

Now I want cheesecake. 

Again, I'm loving how much Buffy is rolling with Faith's flirting and giving it right back. And more than that, I'm loving the ways you're letting them just be themselves around each other. Some of that comes with maturity, some of that comes with some pretty major traumatic experiences (death, prison, the plural of apocalypse), but now more than ever it's just quality time spent together, making new, positive memories. (I wonder what each of their love languages is?) (Also I may need that Albuquerque story as a separate ficlet.)

But now all of that is overshadowed by whatever the hell just happened in Faith's room. The trunk seemingly moving on its own at the beginning of the chapter could've been a prank or blamed on the demon plant, but now? Now we've got what appears to be a real live (so to speak) poltergeist and it's taking over Faith?? 

I think I only made it to chapter 3 or 4 when you were first posting this, so this is mostly all new and very stressful now! I'll say it again, don't hurt my Faith!

Author's Response:

I have to hurt her a LITTLE, for the good hurt/comfort. Can't have one without the other! We talked about this already but I think Faith's main love language would be physical touch. Touched starved Faith is kind of one of my head canons. Because when you have no one around you that's even remotely close to you, what opportunities do you have for people to touch you even platonically. They're pretty limited. Faith's contact with other people basically boils down to violence and casual sex. So I think someone wanting to touch her just affectionately would be a game changer for her. I think she'd really crave that. Quality time I think would also be up there. For Buffy I think she also likes touch (she's really affectionate with her loved ones), but I think acts of service might be another. Just having someone take care of things for her without her having to ask would really make her feel seen and loved. Just my thoughts. 😊 Obviously as you know by now, touch is off the table, so they have to do a lot more talking. But they DO do that. 😁

*incoherent screeching* MY blood is running cold, jfc!!

"She focuses on Faith’s back, opening her mind tentatively to the connection between them.

Rather than the onslaught she fears, Buffy has to strain to feel anything. It’s barely a spark between them.

Then she feels it, as though from very far away, a pull that is undeniably Faith. She glances at Faith in confusion when she realizes the tug isn’t coming from her direction. Buffy stops walking, looking over her shoulder in the direction they came. She closes her eyes, concentrating hard. As though becoming aware of her attention, the connection between them flares, warm and tingling down her back. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she feels more than hears Faith’s voice. Help me."

Who is this fucking pod person and what have they done to our Faith??

I'm glad Buffy is being insistent in getting Willow and now Giles to help her, but I wish they were just a fraction more concerned. Or is that part of whatever's going on? Only Buffy can sense something's off because she's a Slayer? 

Gooodddddd...  My heart aches for both Buffy and Faith. I didn't even think about how being the only one to be able to see the real Faith would bring up residual guilt and horror from "Normal Again" for Buffy. 😩

The way you write Faith in Buffy's space is just torture. Peering over her shoulder to read, close enough to smell her? Hands next to each other on the bedspread? And all the while they can't touch each other?? Torture, I tell you. 

I don't know who this spirit is who's hijacked Faith's body, but she needs every square inch of her ass kicked (but carefully so Faith is okay) and then sent straight to hell. 

"Still smiling faintly, Buffy leans in her head carefully, her cheek lingering just where Faith's shoulder would begin if she were corporeal.

Faith looks down at the top of Buffy's head, so close she can practically feel her breathing. Closing her eyes, she tilts her head down and pretends that she can feel the softness of Buffy's hair against her skin."

I swear you're trying to kill me. 

So. The house is very much haunted by a woman who was murdered by a WWII vet and someone else, for reasons unknown, and she has since been causing suicides and "accidents" and all manner of unpleasantness to everyone who passes through that house in any kind of permanent manner. And now she's somehow figured out how to switch places with a living person. Who is Faith. Who is fading away before our very eyes. 

And now this mystery dead woman in Faith's body is missing after Grace touched her and saw her murder and spooked her. 

Am I missing anything? 

Oh, and Faith still needs to cool it with Louie, though I'm glad to see she's upgraded to just sending him to the pound rather than skinning him. He's on your side, Faith!! 

Amitiel and Muriel are interesting. I haven't commented on them yet because I kinda didn't know what to say. Their role was pretty clear, but now, with the whole "he'll pull you off this case" and "let's file the report and then we can spend the night brainstorming" I'm not sure. Are they meant to be balancing scales? Are they meant to usher souls from one realm to the next? Why are they working on such a strict timetable now when this spirit has been allowed to linger for like 60-some years?

I don't like it, even if they do remind me of Pratchett characters. 

Author's Response:

You can ressurect easily it seems, so you'll be fine! 😁 I think you've fairly well summed up the plot there. Nothing missing. 

I AM HAVING SO MANY EMOTIONS. 

It's probably a good thing I didn't read this as you posted it because I was in a not-great place four or so years ago and a chapter like this would've broken me. As it is now, I'm still pretty sure one of your fics is gonna do me in. Might as well be this one. 

Fuck, man. I can't even enjoy a good group discussion of My So-Called Life (the answer is always Rayanne) and Xander saying "this explains so much" because Faith is in even more danger than she was before. Gaaaahhh. 

You threw me at the beginning, bringing Rack into the mix. I don't exactly get why they needed him, but it's interesting to see what's become of him. I agree with Muriel that he can rot for all eternity.

This Heart's Blood spell had better work to keep Faith here until they can put her back in her body proper. I need to have a very violent talk with whoever Muriel and Ami are working for because what's happening to Faith in the name of balance is fucked up and wrong, especially now with her trying her damnedest to turn her life around. She needs to be able to live, for real. 

She needs to hear the gang say "we all love Faith" to her real live face, and repeat it freely, and mean it. She needs to love and be loved by Buffy for years to come. And she needs to know, deep in her soul, that this is true and right and good:

'Faith's voice is so small she barely hears it, but Buffy's heart seizes all the same. "Do you think I'm going to hell?"

"No," Buffy says immediately. "Of course not. Faith, how can you even think that?"

"I know what I've done," Faith says, sounding miserable. "I wish like hell I could change it, but I can't." The tugging feeling lingers on the edge of her consciousness. She can't imagine Heaven would be this interested in getting its hands on her.

Sitting up, Buffy leans on one arm so she's looking down at Faith. "But you do regret it. You're trying to do good with your life. Whatever cosmic scale decides where we go has to be tipped in your favor by now. You saved the world, Faith. Twice."'

So this spell better work. And then they can figure out if finding Emily's sister will help them find Emily-in-Faith's-body and then everybody can rest. 

Buffy thinking about her choices at the beginning of this chapter just tears at my heart. The one time she made the selfish choice in her time as a Slayer, to refuse to kill her sister, how she so obviously wants to be selfish now, is so, so hard. It reminds me of one of the best quotes from the She-Ra reboot, said to the protagonist as she, too, faces an impossible choice: "You're worth more than what you can give to other people. You deserve love, too." I think that applies to Buffy here, now.

She has been hurting so long, and expecting to be punished for any choice she makes for herself, but she deserves to live just as much as Faith does, as Dawn does, and yes, as Kendra did. There is no good choice here, and Diana knows it.

There is only the choice Buffy can make, not as the Slayer, not as a warrior, but as herself, as a woman in love who has lost nearly everything that makes her happy, who will live and die for everyone but herself. She's worth more, and she deserves love, too. 

I will have you know that it took everything in my power *not* to throw my brand new phone across the room while reading this chapter because MURIEL AND AMI WERE TARA AND ANYA?????? ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?????? GAAAAHHHHH!!!!!

Here I was, enjoying the absolute care everyone was taking to reassure Faith that she'll be back in her own body again, that she isn't going to die, and the absolute care they were all taking with her physical body, setting her wounds and keeping her from further harm. Here I was, enjoying the way Willow has finally warmed up to Faith, the utmost trust Faith has in Willow to get her home again. 

And then you drop that bomb and I'm dead. You've killed me. 

Were there signs and clues this whole time? Probably. Am I going to re-read this fic and go back looking for them. Definitely. Did it still hit me like a ton of bricks? You betcha.

GAAAAHHHHH!

Okay. Was there more to this chapter? I don't even know anymore. 

No, there was, and it was great.

Look at these Scoobies being responsible and taking themselves to the hospital! “Family trip to the emergency room!” Oh, Xander. Head wounds like Willow's majorly squick me out, like I got physically ill for a sec there last chapter when Willow first hits her head, so I'm glad you didn't just gloss over it (or Buffy's stab wound or Faith's ankle) now that they can take five minutes. They really should just employ their own doctor at this point. 

It was somewhat cathartic (is that the right word? Eh I'll use it) to see Willow showing even just a bit of compassion towards Emily, even after everything. I like that there's a bit of understanding there between them, even knowing that Emily was wrong in her actions and they can't let her stay. It's fitting that it's Giles who steps in and makes sure that's clear. 

I hope with Tara revealing herself to Willow, that she's still watching over them and guiding them when she can, that Willow can truly heal herself. 

And I hope Buffy and Faith do go on that date, and that after so long being unable to touch anyone or anything that Faith becomes a chronic hugger and cuddler.