“You don’t know her at all, if you think she’s some monster.” Angrily, she steps closer to Willow. “I know who she is, who she really is deep down. I know her like I know myself, and there is nothing you can tell me that would make me turn my back on her.” Buffy finishes, “like you said, Will, I’m not going anywhere. So deal with it or don’t, but don’t try to stand in my way. Not about this.” ~~ I loved this part. Way to put Willow in her place. She's been possessive with her Buffy. Now she's trying to be overprotective and possessive of Alt+B. *karate chop

The part where Dawn and Giles sit down after the Willow walk-out, that's new (from the version I read). I loved it. Hahaha! I love that Dawn wasn't being huffy after finding out that B was gay, and in love with her F.

Funny. I just realised that Alt+B is doing to Faith what Willow did to her. Alt+B was pushing her ideas on Faith, and expects Faith to understand and accept. Initially I thought it was ok because I really do feel sorry for Alt+B. But in retrospect it wasn't. No matter how much Buffy thinks that Faith should be out there doing the world a service, it is right for Faith to redeem herself the way she chooses to.

Sweet of Tara to order that sketch from Angel. I'm sorry Alt+B, the Wonderbrat has this habit of making her protagonist suffer. Don't worry. She will make you happy... Eventually. If not, I'll tickle her till she says sorry.

Author's Response:

I loved that part too, with telling Willow off! I love strong Buffy, especially when she's right. That part was fun to write.

The part with Giles and Dawn was new, yeah. :) I felt like it was a weird transition, so I added that in.

If you're not nicer to me, I will flick your horns and then I will make Alt Buffy cry and cry. Or I'll change this into a bangel story. >:)

Dude.  DUDE.  I love your 'version' of season seven.  Uber Witch as the big bad, people trapped in town, some kind of magic bugs, spy birds?  Why did you not write season seven when it aired??  Seriously, that was a really cool time jump into this really cool new 'verse.  And the fact that Buffy and Faith aren't all awkward and angry?  Well, that's just a wonderful wonderful bonus.  Of course the gang is wary, but I have a feeling they'll trust Buffy on this one.  After all, it's not like they can run Faith out of town now!

Seriously love this twist, and super happy that Faith is physically there with them.  Can't wait to see where you take the story next!  You'll be happy to know no cheesecakes - real or virtual - were harmed during the reading of this chapter.  =)

Author's Response:

To be fair, if I wrote season 7, I would have gayed it up and possibly killed Willow, so that's probably not the exact direction they wanted to go in... Also, they just did Willow as Big Bad the year before. :p

Woohoo time jump celebration. *Sings* Let's do the time warp aaaaaaaaagainnnnnnn* or maybe *However far away, I will always love you...* Wait a minute. That's the wrong song! How did that happen!? 

 

Oh man, bad news for this Buffy.  :(  Not only can they not get her back, but the one person who brings her comfort in this dimension is behind bars for a long long time.  When she broke down after their meeting and her decision to stay, her pain was so real I could almost feel it.  My heart just keeps breaking for these girls.  Stop breaking my heart, Alice!  You are mean.

The visit at the jail started out so well!  There was talking, and snacks, and comforting.  And then:  “I didn’t know you were gay.” She looks back at Buffy, eyes widening. “I didn’t know I was gay. I mean, a little gay, yeah, but like move in with you and have a whole life gay… that’s… wow.”  I can't express how much I loved that. 

I was surprised that Faith got defensive about her Buffy, but I liked it.  It's like, no matter how much bad crap went down, there's still that spark of concern and - dare I say it - friendship, as one-sided as it may be.  Now we just need her to give into her inner gay and bust out so she can make the happy with this Buffy. Ah, my mind is a happy place right now.  :P  Ready for you to break my heart again soon.  Haha.

Author's Response:

I have to break your heart so that later I can put it back together, and you can soar from the ashes like a majestic Phoenix! *tries to control ego*

Initially I didn't write too much of Buffy's breakdown in this chapter, figuring it would be a re-tread of what happened with Faith in Flowers, but then I thought of the masterful scenes from The Body and tried to draw on that. Buffy does cry and breakdown, but when the really, really horrible shit happens, she just shuts down. Joyce's death. Glory finally getting Dawn in her clutches. She has an emotional threshold that once she gets there, she's just done. It was kind of fun writing her like that. I swear I'm not mean though. >:)

Faith definitely has conflicted feelings about canon Buffy, and hearing about the happy shit in the other dimension really doesn't help. Now it's like, well, if I didn't suck so much, maybe I could have had her! Which isn't totally accurate, but Faith doesn't have excellent perspective on the situation. :C

There's no need to hope! We'll ALWAYS enjoy the chapters! ;))))))

These creepy crawly bugs are gonna give me sleepless nights... I'm shuddering as I type! Now if only they got you to write season 7! In all honesty I wasn't opposed to how season 7 panned out, but now I kinda am! I know you aren't doing a season 7 rewrite or at least I don't believe it's your intention, but this is almost like an alternate s7 and I L O V E it!!

I love the way Buffy is around Faith, you write it so freakin well I wanna cry! In a good way! Faith has always been my 'preferred' slayer but I'm really falling for your Buffy! Scratch that I've fallen! I can't get over how much my opinions have changed after reading your fics! You've opened my eyes to things I never really thought about! Not complaining by the way, I'm just fascinated by it all!

i hope you are getting a load of awe(s) from your girlfriend by now! I'm gonna throw you one for safe measure!

i love that Tara is in this too... Her character deserved so much more development and I is glad you have incorporated her in this fic! She's got that knack of seeing/sensing things that others don't and you encapsulate that so beautifully, without forcing it.

The really amazing thing that you have managed to pull off (for me at least!) is that 6 chapters in and there's been no fuffy goodness in the sense of them getting it on, but I'm really okay with it! The plot is so effing good that it actually makes sense why it hasn't happened yet... I trust that if and when it happens it'll be perfectly timed and be done with full conviction and be fully justified! Wow there was a whole lotta fullness there! But I reckon you get what I mean?! Fuffy goodness is all well and good but to actually have an original and engrossing plot is not something I witness a whole lot of... Can probably count on one hand how many actually well developed fuffy fics I've read and three of them are your fics you crazyily talented genius!

More awe(s) being thrown in your direction! Tell me when that gets boring for you!

Friday countdown is on! Although I don't think I'll get to read it til next week *sob*

Ya see, I like to take my time with your fic... No more of this reading at work in dribs n drabs!! 

Phew I think that's enough typing outta me!

ps car is amazing...it flies!.. Switching from merc to bmw is one of best decisions I ever made... Kinda like switching from fanfic.net to C2! Lol 

 

Author's Response:

Wixster! What's this about not getting to read the next chapter until next week?? D:

For all intents and purposes, I guess it is a Season 7 re-write. No pressure there because it can't be much worse than the show! Plus, as you say, we've still got Tara, so obviously that improves the season tremendously. :p I promise more overt Fuffy goodness is coming your way. I like the subtle moments between them just as much as the bigger ones. I'm pleased you like the plot too! I hope I do it justice, because for me the plot is always secondary to their relationship. :p 

Still not getting any awe around these parts. Maybe I should call my family and inform them they're supposed to be in awe? I'll just show 'em C2. They'll be awed for about 10 mins and then they'll say, "Oh my God, you linked us to porn." Oops!

First we have Willow being an egotistical... witch (Giles should have slapped her with his hanky). Possibly a little harsh of Buffy putting Tara in the middle of it, even if she didn't really mean to cause any harm, but go Tara for sticking to her principles, even if she was sucking up a little in the process. Tara should also buy herself a hanky; preparation is key. Then Dawn won the argument, in a (slightly-needy-but-)sweet way.

Another nice scene with Buffy visiting Faith. Even if it looks like the time for my prediction to happen has just passed (I should really just stop trying. :p).

“So this means… you’ve seen me naked.”

lol. So unexpected. Of all the thoughts or questions that revelation could have brought up.

Nice alteration with Buffy having killed Finch instead (That guy just doesn't catch a break in any dimension). She really is in a position to understand why Faith ended up where she is and not judge her for any of it. And she's being super supportive throughout.

““You really don’t—” 

“Have to—I know,” Buffy says, as Faith climbs to her feet. “I want to.””

Aaww. :)

Faith is probably now busy mentally planning out their wedding*. :p

You and your Hohos...

 

*Not a prediction.

Author's Response:

Well, everybody weighed in, and Tara, Giles, and Willow are the only ones who really know *that* much about magic. I think Buffy had to ask Tara what she thought. :p Plus I always loved strong Tara moments from the series, when she stood up for herself or someone else. :) Giles should slap [insert name here] is probably the solution to about half the problems on the show AND in fic.

So their convo about Buffy staying here didn't go as you expected? Did you think Faith would be happier about it?

*Goes to re-write next chapter and put in wedding planning to make you feel good about yourself :p*

I really, really liked the visiting scene. It was sweet, hopeful and sad all rolled into one. Faith's reaction came across as very believable. She has obviously calmed since going to jail, but there's still some of her temperamentalness there. I also like how she instantly switched from feeling like she needed to get away from Buffy to worrying Buffy was about to leave as soon as she moved her chair. She came off as a little bit fragile, like she just didn't seem to really know what to think or do, which is completely understandable.

If someone had actually found a way to send Buffy back it would actually be a really depressing ending now. In the first story the alt-Faith would have gotten her Buffy back and the original Buffy would at least have her friends and life waiting for her. It was pretty much win-win. But here original Faith would be stuck alone again (OK, so technically she's still kind of alone, but not for long :D). And that happening after the hands-on-the-glass part (Which was a really nice moment, and I can imagine it doing heaps of good for Faith. She's been stuck behind bars at a low point in her life, and then suddenly she has something to look forward to again, even if she can't let herself believe it can last) :( In fact, I suspect Faith will (Will, not would. I'm predicting it's going to happen sometime in the next few chapters. :p) have a very different reaction when Buffy brings up being upset about not being able to get home in front of her.

But yeah, that was kind of wonderful.

Eek, poor Cordy. I guess without Angel she was basically screwed from the beginning. Really should have stuck with Sunnydale. At least she'd have had (double) Slayer protection. To make up for it though, I'm going to pretend that Wesley must still be out hunting down those rogue demons like the motorbike-riding badass that you know he is. :p

Buffy's handling of the Spike/Buffybot reveal was funny, as was Anya's, err, contribution.

Author's Response:

Thank you! That's exactly what I wanted in the jail scene. :)

Well, I don't think it would necessarily be depressing for Buffy to go back. Canon Buffy would perhaps come back with some greater understanding of Faith and be motivated to make an effort? Not to say I will send them back. This is, after all, the story of Alt Buffy in canon world. :pI think canon Buffy could conceivably come home and make some sort of fresh start with canon Faith, but to me it's a more interesting to explore how canon Faith would react to this weird version of Buffy that actually gives a crap about her.

Of course Wesley's off rogue demon hunting! Although I don't know how long he would have lasted without running into Angel, but let's pretend. :D

Animals from hell, huh? Interesting apocalypse. I like. Do wonder why Amy chose this route though. Loving the Buffy/Faith interactions and the general feel of the story.

Author's Response:

Primarily she needs something to keep them busy while she's off err, murdering people, and I could have gone with hoards of the undead, but I already did that. :p Also they keep the vineyard well guarded, and I hate bugs so the idea of tons of them flying around stinging everybody seemed really gross. :D

Holy crap! Wow good update!!!

When are we gonna see some Fuffy lovin though?

The whole Amy/weird animal mutant storyline is very interesting also!

Author's Response:

You know I'm not gonna answer that! :p I will say though, I'll try to balance the plot parts with relationship stuff, so I think some should be coming up soon. ;) Thank you so much for reviewing as always!! :) You are fantastic. :D

wonderalice! i am SO glad you went for it and wrote the alternate. i finally got around to reading these first 5 chapters and i have to say, much like the godfather movies, your sequel could possibly be better than flowers. no actually, scratch that. i loved flowers so much. it was incredibly well written. i think i'm just more intrigued to see the story pan out from this flip side. a faith that needs redemption is just always too tempting for whatever reason. and when you add a buffy with no hang ups or stick up her ass, then that makes for a really exciting story! what i will say is that you have the tragedy down just right. in both stories. it's all so gutting! i hope all four versions of the girls can find lasting love all over again, but it still hurts to think about what they've lost. and you really convey that so well. i was a bit shocked to get thrown forward 2 years in to the future, but it was a clever way for you to show that this buffy is stuck there long term, is dealing with it in a way, but ultimately is still horribly unhappy without faith. and if you'd thrown them together too quickly it would have been unrealistic and faith would have never felt like buffy loved her for HER. this is a bit of a babbling shit show so i'll wrap it up. can't wait for friday! can you get alerts from this site? 

Author's Response:

Thank you!! :) Yes, you can get alerts! If you add a story or author to your favorites (option is right above the review box), you will get alerts either on the specific fic, or every time that author posts a new fic. Just check under Account Info > Edit Preferences, and make sure you have the option turned on to get alerts.

You're exactly right about the time jump. I wanted to give Buffy time to accept her circumstances. I also didn't want to write four million prison scenes or give Faith an earlier release. :p

Wow.

Ok, so I'm definitely liking the interactions between Buffy and Faith in this story more than B/F in Flowers. That's not say I didn't enjoy theirs as well. I enjoy all B/F. Though not as much as I'd like to enjoy them ;) *wink*

I just feel like these two will have a better resolution than the other two. We didn't get to see a real relationship form between B/F in Flowers, just the promise of something, but I feel like this relationship already has a progression that is leaps above the other.

As always it feels like Buffy controls the nature of the relationship. In Flowers she was carrying all this baggage about Faith and it hampered the relationship she was trying to build with her.

However this Buffy has not baggage and this Faith is more open to her. Faith obviously does not want to be a replacement for some "perfect" Faith, but she definitely likes the attention this Buffy gives her.

Great chapter as always!

Author's Response:

Thank you! I wonder how much that is a function of how they interact in this story. Like, with Faith in prison, they have to do a lot of talking, so perhaps it feels more intimate. But also we don't have the barrier of Buffy's negative Faith feelings, so it does allow their relationship to be more positive.

I agree, Faith likes the attention from Buffy. She is suspicious of it too, and she bristles when she thinks she's being seen as the replacement Faith, as you said. Their relationship moving forward should be interesting. :)

Ah interesting twist but since this is set in season 7, the First would normally be the antagonist but I am guessing since buffy was only swapped with another in this story rather than killed, then it would not be around since the First's plot only came about due to Buffy's resurrection messing up the slayer line. Still Tara being alive is a mystery, will you be add a flashback about that to clarify her survival?

 

Another good chapter....but another damn week to wait! thats it! I am going to the tower to fix up a sniper rifle! XD

Author's Response:

I don't know that there will be a flashback, but I'll probably fill in the gaps regarding season 6. I probably could have used the First Evil storyline anyway. After all, it can show up pretty much just because it feels like it, but I hated season 7 so I didn't wanna go there. :p

Thank you!

Wow what an update. Amy knows Buffy's weakness I see her hurting Faith soon. I really like how Buffy and Faith are connecting .I would love to see a series of stories from this and the other Alt story or another dimension 

Thank you

Author's Response:

That's a tall order! :p Thank you, glad you're liking it.

This definitely wasn't what I was expecting but it's a good surprise. :)

I like that they left each other alone over that period of time. It seemed lke they both needed that time apart, especially Buffy. She needed that time to realize her Faith is really gone. Buffy's reaction to what happened in LA is so realistic. She shows she still cares no matter what.

Very interesting big bad, Amy. Looking forward to see where you take this! :)

Author's Response:

Thanks! :) I'm glad you liked it! Buffy definitely needed that time to deal with the reality of her situation, I agree.