Sorry for commenting so late, but I'm finally catching up on fic, and I have to say that I absolutely love this. I've loved the other parts in this series as well, so it's lovely having a prequel that's equally good (not that I was expecting any less of you, certainly not). You've really captured the characters, and I love the limited POV we get from Spike, and that we learn about this world the same way he did. It's fascinating, and you really makes the reader feel what he feels. Oh, and I love that last scene, and it's so Buffy, in that kind of world.