No worries! I'll reply to you hear so that you get the notification - because I want to say THANK YOU for your comment, which is utterly lovely to receive. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story just as much! (Poor Vi was an easy choice in the end - she's easily fazed by Spike being abrupt and she would have a reason to go and do washing on her own!) It was a pleasure to give Buffy the space to think about something, because I feel like she thinks things over a lot harder than sometimes she gets credit for.

Spike wanted to make an honest man of himself.

Ooh, I like that phrasing! I think you're absolutely right - the soul was to a large extent a pragmatic choice, I'd say, to let him really feel the things he already thought he could feel, to let him be who he really wanted to be. *nods*

Good luck with the chores!