This story started out funny and light. The dialogue was spot on throughout. I loved this bit: ""Ha! You had fun!" He cast a reluctant eye back to his recently stolen booze. "Shame to waste all that drink, though. Down that one, you can hit me with the empty bottle." Spike being gleeful that he'd raised Buffy's spirits, but ever protective of the alcohol.

You did an excellent job bridging the comedy and melancholy with: "He kept his tone light, the contact between their upper arms casual. Even drunk, Spike could sense the beginnings of a serious conversation and he didn't want to let her slip away; he figured it unlikely that she'd ever fall for the 'couple of quick drinks' trick again."

The rest of the piece was painful, but it was nice to read Buffy really opening up.