1) Giles telling Buffy that he is disappointed that she has learned so little about tactics and battle strategies over the years.

2) Buffy realizing that her callousness (not bothering to show any remorse over Xander's injury or learning the skills [or even the names!] of her troops) was a significant factor in her defeat at the Vineyard.

3) Give the other dead SIT a name and some history. It bothers me that all we can say about those two dead girls is that they are "Molly and the other one." Have somebody beat Buffy over the head with the fact that this girl had a name and an obtainable dream that she was never able to fulfill.

4) Buffy realizing that Spike is a divisive factor, and that her favoring him in all situations created her morale problem.

5) No major plot points involving Spike. I don't want him staked or acting like a jerk in this fic, because I am simply bored with the wanker and want to see as little of him as possible. The less I see of Spike in this fic, the more bonus points you can earn.

6) No freebie smoochies. The focus of this fic needs to be Buffy and Giles' interactions, but you don't need to have them falling into each other's arms at the end. If you do decide to have this fic end romantically, it has to be *earned*.

Optionally, your fic might include:

1) Somebody (not Buffy) asking Dawn how she can get away with throwing Buffy out of her own house. Did Joyce leave the deed in her name?

2) Xander feeling guilty over the deaths of Molly and the other one. If he hadn't given his inspirational speech, they wouldn't have gone and Caleb wouldn't have killed them. Have his anger with Buffy be more over his guilt than his eye.

3) Have Willow feeling guilty that she wasn't at the Vineyard helping with magic. Again, have her assertion that Buffy was reckless be more about her guilt than anything else.

4) Anya discussing the nature of generalship, based upon her personal acquaintance with a famous *effective* general. Have her elaborate on why they *were* better than other people, even though they didn't have Buffy's strength. I want her to come across as more articulate and less bitchy than she did in her "you're not better than us" speech.

5) Any other character that you like who came across as unnecessarily harsh? Give them a legitimate reason for their comments in that fight, and give them an opportunity to state them succinctly and articulately. Unlike the lazy bastards writing BtVS these days, give people real motivations for their actions!