"Because I'm not ready..."

[Kana]

Contextually, I always thought that it had romantic undertones. Spike pointedly asks about Wood after what she said and they share a look, at the very least he inferred the comment was romantic in it's nature.

As I've always said, things aren't as defined with Spuffy, but the 'spark' was clearly there and Giles even comments on it.

 

[Eleftheria]

Buffy trusts Spike and considering the loneliness she felt in s7, the importance of her mission and the fact that the scoobies don't seem so united (at least in my eyes) , she really needed Spike. It was really dangerous of course cause Spike was not stable yet, but Buffy could trust him not just for the battles ahead but also she could have someone to talk to.

 

[Amyrat151]

There is clearly a overtone to the comment, but I don't think her desires were only romantic. As other people have said, Buffy needed Spike around because she knows he's strong and that he's loyal to her. She needed both to fight her war.
Oh and something else I want to say...spuffy is a word that just annoys the crap out of me. It's like some people with moist. I just hate the way that sounds.

 

[mayfever]

I agree, but I think it's more than that- she wants him there for her personally. He is the only one who continually backs her up in s7.

But even before I decided to sail the ship Bangel, this always kind of irritated/annoyed me. Sometimes I think that Buffy is selfish with Spike. She wants him there because she wants him there. She's not willing to put her feelings out there, to commit to anything, but she still wants him there for her. Sometimes I just don't like how she treats him- and she's been doing that really ever since s 4/5. She can't commit to killing him because of the chip, and because he's sometimes useful to the Scoobies. Then of course she knows he loves her & she does grow to trust him somewhat, esp with Dawn. Then s6 is the ultimate in using him- she says she doesn't love him but she continues to sleep with him. He's the only one she can go to, he takes advantage of that & she can't fully give in to it. I mean, I know that pre-s7 he's soulless, but I kind of feel bad for him!

I totally agree with this. You know me as the vice captain of all Bangelness, but I don't think I've ever insisted anywhere that Buffy didn't love Spike, she just didn't love him like he wanted to be loved.To me, it feels like Buffy was never ready, both for Spike to be there and not to be there. I really don't think there is much ambivalence in that line - deep down, she loves him, even romantically, but she doesn't want to admit it to herself because it scares her. She is incredibly selfish in that respect, and it does make me feel bad for the lad. A little.

 

[The Unspoken]

He wrote a stealth parody, aimed at showing what's wrong with S7. That's my theory and I am sticking to it. It also explains his participation in the travesty known as "Lies My Parents Told Me". 😀

Upon closer inspection, 'Lies My Parents Told Me' paints Buffy and Spike in a horrible light. Keeping trigger!Spike unchained for several months even though he could easily slaughter them all in their sleep, their flat-out refusal to cooperate when Giles initially tries to remove the trigger using non-harmful means (the magical stone thingie), Buffy not so much as batting an eyelid when trigger!Spike assaults Dawn and shrugging off her injuries, etc. Wow, David Fury is a genius. 🙂 Talk about Machiavellian ingenuity.

Anyway, I think the remark is definitely romantic in nature. It's not like there was some rational basis for it - Spike is useless against an incorporeal foe.

 

[Gum Gnome33]

Upon closer inspection, 'Lies My Parents Told Me' paints Buffy and Spike in a horrible light. Keeping trigger!Spike unchained for several months even though he could easily slaughter them all in their sleep, their flat-out refusal to cooperate when Giles initially tries to remove the trigger using non-harmful means (the magical stone thingie), Buffy not so much as batting an eyelid when trigger!Spike assaults Dawn and shrugging off her injuries, etc. Wow, David Fury is a genius. 🙂 Talk about Machiavellian ingenuity.

Well, they didn't refuse to use the stone. Spike was creeped out by it for sure because it was going to travel via his optical nerve into his brain, but he did it in spite of the revulsion he felt. And it wasn't a cure--it was supposed to point out what the trigger was, which it did, which led to Spike ripping himself off the wall and attacking Dawn, (I mean what did Giles expect would happen when Spike's trigger was activated?)

Anyway, I think the remark is definitely romantic in nature. It's not like there was some rational basis for it - Spike is useless against an incorporeal foe.

This I completely agree with.

 

[The Unspoken]

Well, they didn't refuse to use the stone. Spike was creeped out by it for sure because it was going to travel via his optical nerve into his brain, but he did it in spite of the revulsion he felt. And it wasn't a cure--it was supposed to point out what the trigger was, which it did, which led to Spike ripping himself off the wall and attacking Dawn, (I mean what did Giles expect would happen when Spike's trigger was activated?)

Giles didn't know the trigger would activate; the magical stone was meant to delve into Spike's subconscious and reveal how the trigger could be deactivated. But Spike and Buffy dismiss the flashback the stone evokes, even though it's obvious it provides crucial information to deactivating the trigger.
And since he didn't actually manage to break free of his chains, there's no reason why they couldn't have simply repeated the process after moving around some furniture and with only Giles, Buffy and Wood standing at the other end of the room. Heck, they could've even had Willow put up one of her protective barriers.