Fic: Those Three Little Words (R) by feliciacraft

[feliciacraft]

Hello, my fellow Spuffy readers! I'm so excited to have my posting day here at Seasonal Spuffy Round 20! *does a happy dance* Thanks to the mods and everyone for making this community possible. I *heart* all of you so much! Here's to another 20, yeah? :P

I have one completed fic (this one) and the first part of a second fic ( Chapter 1 of "The

Comments

[sunalso]

I have so many FEELS over the end of Chosen as it is (hence why I'm writing story after story after story- because I can't stop fixing it)- and this drove the knife in and twisted hard. *sobbing* (scared my dogs- and my kid). Beautiful, amazing, well done, and cathartic- but I think I need the fluff now... ;-)

[feliciacraft]

Gaaah! I'm so sorry!!! I mean, THANK YOU for your kind words, but I'm sorry for making you cry. Fluff has been posted at: http://seasonal-spuffy.livejournal.com/559525.html... )

[red_satin_doll]

The thing is, many have suggested that Buffy didn't mean it when she uttered those three little words to Spike at the end of "Chosen", or that Spike didn't believe her when she did. So this is my head canon for what happened: She absolutely meant it, and he 100% believed her. But knowing how fiercely loyal and true Buffy was, and how she guarded her heart and would die for her conviction, Spike had to say whatever was necessary to make sure Buffy left the cavern alive. It's kind of like the reverse of how when someone's dying, you'd say, "Everything's going to be all right," even though it's a lie, because the truth in that situation does no one any good.

Of course she meant it! Buffy has many faults but being a liar isn't one of them. Besides, if it were a lie it would make the entire scene - the entire series, her journey, his sacrifice - meaningless.

"What I basically told [James and Sarah] was, ‘Play the romance, be proud of him, love him when you say you love him, love her when you say she doesn’t love you’ "- Whedon, ‘

[feliciacraft]

Thank you for the links! I'll check them out. The frustration of coming to a fandom late is knowing I'm missing out on a whole lot of work done before my time without knowing how to track it down! AO3 at least has some fic, but meta is much harder to discover!

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Tuesday, May 24

[livejournal]

User rbfvid referenced to your post from The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Tuesday, May 24 saying: [...] [Drabbles & Short Fiction] Those Three Little Words [...]

[baphrosia]

This is absolutely fantastic. First off, one of the best Chosen-Spike voices I've read. Second, I LOVE how you subverted the trope. The minute pt 2 started, with Someone with a cocky confidence would’ve answered differently, I thought 'oh no... I have a bad feeling about this'. Spike had to stay and finish the army off, and while stories wherein he lives are nice wish fulfillment, I always always feel like we're being cheated of both his final redemption and the badness that would surely follow if they didn't completely finish the job. I noticed that **** division of parts and was hoping you'd do exactly what you did - come back to canon in a part 3 (or 4) and have Spike know exactly why he's sending Buffy away. So, for me, I love what you did here.

Whatever changes you made, they were spot on. Loved your phrasing throughout - too many to pick a fave lest I start quoting it all. :) (But I think maybe the ubervamps were creeping through rubble, not rubbles.)

[feliciacraft]

Thank you so much! Coming from you, that's high praise, indeed! #^_^#

I'm completely with you regarding Spike's sacrifice in "Chosen". It has to happen. I wanted to write a story to show beyond a reasonable doubt that when Buffy tells Spike, "I love you", she absolutely means it, and he definitely believe her. When he says, "No, you don't," it's done out of love, words to send her to safety. I'm glad you approve!

(And thank you for spotting the rubble/rubbles...rubbish.) ;)

[feliciacraft]

Thank you so much, Danna! This is my head canon for what happened in "Chosen". I've seen debate about the whole "I love you"/"No you don't" exchange, and this is my take. :) I'm glad you found it compelling!

[futurescribbler]

*Cuddles Mr Gordo* I chose to believe that he made it out safely too.

That was so heartbreaking yet beautiful. I didn't know that anyone had ever argued that Buffy didn't mean it. Of course she meant it! Spike just wanted to protect her. In my head, that is canon! But it's nice to see it written out. Of course Spike had to sacrifice himself in order to wipe away everything bad that he had done over the past century, he came back and was washed clean, and the point is that Buffy's life coming back was what upset the balance, he gave his life in her place and as 'her champion' that counts. I didn't explain that well but it makes sense in my head. Like when the wand is actually Draco's rather than Snape's because Snape pledged himself for Draco.

[feliciacraft]

I've read the argument that if Buffy meant it, then she would've said those words *earlier*, and not wait until moments before Spike's certain death, until there wasn't a chance for her to prove those words with action. That's not how I see it (as I've made abundantly clear in my fic), but I could see how someone could come to that conclusion. And if Spike had believed her, that he wouldn't have second-guessed himself after he was brought back to Wolfram & Hart. Anyway, Joss being Joss, he probably loved "vaguing" it up for us fans.

I understand exactly what you meant. Spike had to sacrifice himself. In terms of both storytelling and character arc, it just...made sense. Sad, but true. Fortunately there's always mystical resurrection in the Buffyverse. :)

Thank you so much for reading and commenting!

P. S. It's been a while since I last read HP, but I thought the wand was Draco's because upon the Astronomy Tower, he had disarmed Dumbledore (at which one the wand's allegiance changed) before Snape uttered the kill curse, so it was

[futurescribbler]

Ah, I can see that. She should have said them when he was crazy in the basement. Or when she was still nervous around him. Or when they kept having slayers die. Or when she was being kicked out of her own house. Seriously Dawn? There were just so many brilliant opportunities. *rolls eyes* Yeah, okay, actually I can see that argument but I don't really buy it. I think that she meant it and that's all that matters. I think that most Spuffier's agree with me although I suppose a level of ambiguity is always good. As you said, I'm sure that Joss enjoyed it.

P.S. Was it? I did do the whole thing in one speed read whenever it first came out so I could have missed that. Oops. I thought that it was a fulfilment of the traditional idea that comes up throughout literature that 'your champion' as it were is you rather than just someone you palm something off on. I will bow to your greater knowledge though. I have probably got it confused with something else.

[feliciacraft]

Totally with you: I see the nonbelievers' point, but I just don't buy it. I think Buffy has enough difficulty saying "I love you" when she means it that she would never say those words without meaning it.

I *heart* HP in a non-practicing way. Come to think of it, you can draw some parallels between the characters of Snape and Spike. Hmm, I'm sure someone has written metas about them. :P

I love a good fandom discussion! Thanks! :)