Ah Riley, you great lump of idiot...

This is one of my favourite series & each chapter just reinforces my opinion. I always look forward to each new installment.

N

Thanks so much, I'm really enjoying trying to figure out how the differences here make things fall out differently and it just makes me incredibly happy to know people are still enjoying this, so far down the road from the original idea.

Riley really was a complete idiot, getting involved in something like that when he should have known what could happen.

Well I supposed that was somewhat better than dragging Buffy to see Riley in there in person...

Good to see an update. This story just keeps moving along. I wondered how you were going to get the gang to look at the hospital with Joyce going to one in LA. Ben has to show up somehow...

A bit more tactful than canon, definitely.

We're bound to start running into Ben sooner or later. *g*

Good chapter. I like the way you handled Spike finding Riley in the Suck House. Once Buffy found out on the show, she was pissed because she felt that Riley was in a way cheating on her. They never really explored the outcome of Riley being turned. I have utmost faith in you that you will handle Buffy finding out a million times better than Joss did.

It was interesting that Buffy kept calling the vampire in the suck house Riley's "whore". I think Joss was hinting for the prime time crowd that it wasn't just the blood. I could see Buffy's point, although it was interesting that she just seemed to think Riley was risking dying, not being turned.

The whole danger to Buffy and her family if Riley was turned was never brought up in canon. I think we fans are smarter than ME. Nice that your feral Spike can handle Riley without bringing Buffy into it.

Now Xander knows that there's something going on and will investigate the psych wards and may run into Ben. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the LA doctors will nip that aneurysm in the bud so to speak.

I'm curious if your Dawn will become suspicious one day.

BTW it's spelled Angelus.

Shakatany

Thanks for the catch. *head/desk* I can't believe I misspelled his name not just once but twice.

Of course, canon Spike had a whole different set of motives for dragging Buffy along which this Spike does have. (I loved the scene between him and Riley in the crypt later on).

It's funny how much changed by sending Joyce to LA, I'm still working out some of the ramifications, but no Ben and no hospital encounters with crazies for Dawn.

but no Ben and no hospital encounters with crazies for Dawn. For a minute I thought you were going to avoid Ben altogether until I read another reply.

I read the revision and Yes, that was some plothole - Riley seems to effect everyone badly including authors *g*

I loved the scene between him and Riley in the crypt later on Could you make your own version?

Glad to see Angelus spelled correctly - not like the city.

Shakatany

Nope, just me being unclear. That should have been no Ben yet. This has been a bad week for typos - I suspect Angelus doesn't like people who misspell his name. *g*

Oh Riley hon, you done effed up. I like the way the interaction between Spike and Riley went, though I winced at the end. You just *know* that when the vampires are done thinking about Riley being the Slayer's boy they'll get around to thinking about the "Thought you didn't kill humans." part. It'll signal weakness like blood in the water and Spike's gonna have to do some fast thinking/talking/fighting to get out of that one. All because of Riley. Yeah..never did like him.

Thank you so much! Your comment made me realize that I'd missed something big, so big that I just finished re-posting the chapter with a slightly altered ending. You've helped me head off a gaping inconsistency and I can't thank you enough. *sends virtual brownies*