A Matter Of Trust

[white avenger]

Why, in Season 7, does Buffy continue to trust and defend Spike, even before she found about his soul?? This is a man who only a few months ago tried to rape her, and yet she defends him to her family and friends, even after he begins, under the First Evil's influence, to kill again?

 

[Edmund Blackadder]

Because she loves/loved him.

The fact later she says 'why does everyone think I'm still in love with Spike' is strong evidence.

 

[Vampmogs2]

I don't believe Buffy did "trust" or "defend" Spike in season seven before finding out he had a soul?

In 'Lessons' they only have a brief scene together but Buffy's more in shock at his sudden appearance than anything. In 'Beneath You' she says "everything about you is wrong Spike" and doesn't defend him to anyone? Xander brings up the rape but Buffy doesn’t defend Spike she simply states she knows she can “take him” and that he “failed” at raping her. That doesn’t sound like someone who trusts him, it just sounds like someone who’s confident that should Spike try anything again she can defend herself. In fact the very fact she doesn’t deny the possibility he’ll try it again demonstrates she didn’t trust Spike at all. Later in that episode when Spike reaches for the flash light she flinches away, again proving she didn’t trust him?

There was no trust or defending Spike before she find out he got his soul, quite the opposite.

Regarding why she trusts him after getting the soul, well why shouldn't she? She trusted Angel again after getting his soul back in season three. Buffy understands the difference a soul can make.

I think her ridiculousness about protecting him when he had the trigger was due in large part to feeling a sense of guilt and responsibility over how he got his soul for her. Buffy feels responsible for that and becomes somewhat obsessive in “mollycoddling” him to the point of stupidity. The same can be said for Angel regarding Darla in season three of Ats. I always felt the situations were somewhat similar with both Buffy and Angel feeling partly responsible for whatever pain Darla or Spike were going through (her pregnancy thanks to Angel's one night stand with her, Spike getting his soul for Buffy) and protecting them and nurturing them because of it.