“The Darkling” by OffYourBird

Pairing: Buffy Summers/Spike
Word Count: 263,486 and counting

Warning: work in progress

Author’s Summary

When Buffy’s quest to get Spike returned to her is fulfilled in an unexpected way, she finds herself in a complicated relationship with an intrigued master vampire who isn’t the man she loves, but who might be someday… if she can convince him to step out of the dark.

My Thoughts

Thanks to my current rewatch of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I’m admittedly on a Spuffy kick. I’ve been reading pretty much all the fics I can get my hands on, and so far the one that has wrapped me around it’s little finger the most is this unfinished beast: “The Darkling.” Set post season seven, this story is a what-if of epic proportions complete with time travel and tons of smut. What if after Spike’s heroic sacrifice, Buffy realizes that she doesn’t want a life without him? But after completing the arduous trials required for her wish to come true, Buffy gets a totally different deal than expected. Instead of the Spike she knows and loves returned whole to her, she is sent back to 1977 New York where our favorite vampire is still the evil Slayer of Slayers—and someone who has absolutely no interest in a slayer from the future.

Or does he? (Okay, obviously of course he does, otherwise there wouldn’t be over 250K words about it.) This fic drew me in from the beginning, and kept me engaged chapter after chapter…to the point where I’m recommending a WIP, which I don’t typically do! Watching Spike and Buffy fall in love over and over, even when the odds are completely against them, is so satisfying. OffYourBird doesn’t just portray the universe well—she completely immerses the reader in a tumultuous, time-altered affair that is achingly beautiful.

That being said, a new chapter was just posted on the 15th and I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, so see you around, Spuffy fans.

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