The Tin Bird by Spikez_tart

Thx. :-)
07/26/2010 02:23 pm
Only This         
 
Glad you liked it.

Riccadonna
10/23/2009 01:07 pm
Only This         
A very catching plot with a heartbreaking bittersweet ending. Not all of the story flowed smoothly for me, but the character study of William, and his growing into Spike is excellent and touching. Having smiled so much with other stories of yours, it was a surprise to find that you can cut deep and deliver such anguish as well.
Thanks so much - it was a change for me.  I was only planning to write a short story, but it grew and grew.

Saggit
08/20/2009 05:02 am
Only This         
Tart and grim at the end, and restrained, too.  With enough genuine Buffy to make you wish you could just shake her around a bit and crack her glass wall of denial.  Very nicely written.
I wanted Buffy to soften up, but since I decided to stay true (as possible) to the show, I had to keep still in a muddle.  Thanks for reviewing. 

07/11/2009 04:56 am
Only This         
 you had me worried til the very end that he wouldnt have a happy ending.  Loved the story!
Not exactly happy, but I wanted to tie it back into the show.  Thanks so much for all your wonderful reviews. 

Cas
05/02/2009 02:44 pm
Only This         
Oh, what a sad, but inevitable, ending.  I wish Spike had told her more  about Emma, although I guess he did the parts that mattered.  Terrific story.  Thanks.

I don't think he can tell Buffy.  A - hurts too much and B - he's afraid that he'll jinx what little he has with her and C - he loves Buffy more and in a more mature way (if you can say anything is mature about Spike).  Thanks so much for feeding the writer with tasty reviews.  Yum.  :)

04/30/2009 03:17 am
Only This         
My heart is wrenching for Spike.  Buffy is still blissfully ignorant of his many facets.  What a wonderful chapter to tie this story up.  Loved it!
Thanks J - I was a little concerned about the last chapter and whether it made sense with the rest of the story, but I think it turned out okay once I had Buffy bring that stake to bed with her.  Thanks for all your many kind reviews.

IT
04/28/2009 08:48 pm
Only This         
Very nice look into Spike's past.  Well done. 
Thanks IT.  Reviews are always appreciated.

04/28/2009 06:41 pm
Only This         
What a beautiful, heart breaking story.  If only she'd had faith in him a year earlier.  Yeah, Buffy's filled with if onlies...
Thanks for reviewing JD - Buffy is a sad, sad girl. 

All4Spike
04/28/2009 05:57 pm
Only This         
Poor Spike. Always love's bitch. With Buffy's denial firmly in place this whole episode could fit very nicely into canon.
He's so pathetic.  Too bad Harmony was such a moron, she would have probably treated him the way he deserved.  I intended to keep it more or less in canon.  It wiggled away from me in a couple of places, mostly when Cecily wagged herself around.  Thanks for reviewing.

04/28/2009 12:16 pm
Only This         
Bleak ending.  Buffy will never let herself see the real Spike, a loss for both of them.. 
Too bleak for my tastes.  I'm glad to be back with the relentlessly cheery Buffybot after this travel to the angst side.  Thanks for reviewing.

04/28/2009 09:00 am
Only This         
my apologies for the multiple postings for my review - my computer is working in total "wrong" mode - been having lots and lots of troubles lately.  Maybe one of the moderators can take out the extras -
Don't worry about it - this happens sometimes and the site is still acting very quirky on posting. 

04/28/2009 08:53 am
Only This         
I just positively loved this story - It is a splendid Buffyverse William piece and makes a great history for what makes William/Spike.

Congratulations on a fine story - it is an honor for me to have my image as one of the influences - Thank You so very much for taking up my request for a tale to go with my Tin Bird Christmas Card -

Such a terrible sad William Story - from all his heart felt but naive longing for love and freedom with his fantastical singing scarlet lady to the horrors of Angelus with the final clawing away at his heart from Buffy - what a truly sad and tragic coming together of two characters.  They make me think often of the tragic Anna Karenina - all three characters made such a hell for themselves through their love and passion.

x

04/28/2009 08:53 am
Only This         
I just positively loved this story - It is a splendid Buffyverse William piece and makes a great history for what makes William/Spike.

Congratulations on a fine story - it is an honor for me to have my image as one of the influences - Thank You so very much for taking up my request for a tale to go with my Tin Bird Christmas Card -

Such a terrible sad William Story - from all his heart felt but naive longing for love and freedom with his fantastical singing scarlet lady to the horrors of Angelus with the final clawing away at his heart from Buffy - what a truly sad and tragic coming together of two characters.  They make me think often of the tragic Anna Karenina - all three characters made such a hell for themselves through their love and passion.

x

04/28/2009 08:52 am
Only This         
I just positively loved this story - It is a splendid Buffyverse William piece and makes a great history for what makes William/Spike.

Congratulations on a fine story - it is an honor for me to have my image as one of the influences - Thank You so very much for taking up my request for a tale to go with my Tin Bird Christmas Card -

Such a terrible sad William Story - from all his heart felt but naive longing for love and freedom with his fantastical singing scarlet lady to the horrors of Angelus with the final clawing away at his heart from Buffy - what a truly sad and tragic coming together of two characters.  They make me think often of the tragic Anna Karenina - all three characters made such a hell for themselves through their love and passion.

Thanks NM.  I can positively say that I would never have written this story or anything remotely like it without your inspiring banner.  We should probably have banner inspiration challenge to go with the regular challenges.  Maybe you and the other artists could start a forum or talk to Dia. 

Clawing away - yes, that's exactly what she's doing.  In the terms of this story, she's probably the worst of his three lovers.  Emma cared about him, but loved Angel.  Dru also cared about him and loved Daddy more.  Buffy, probably doesn't love Angel that way anymore, but can't let herself care about him. 

legen
04/28/2009 07:17 am
Only This         
awesome story. and really in character. i do beleive that if she had ever let them talk about the important things, they would have been able to be together.
good stuff.
Thanks legen.  Joss would never let them be together, he's evil.  I wanted to keep it within the story lines, so sadly I couldn't get them together either.  Thanks for reviewing.

07/11/2009 04:52 am
Last Mistake         
 *sobs* when is its Spikes turn to be happy?
Never, I'm sorry to say.

02/21/2009 11:44 am
Last Mistake         
If Emma hadn't interfered she still would be alive (eh un-live).  Good to see Spike not being killed (but in a way that was expected, being still undusty in the present).
I couldn't kill off Spike and I couldn't let him win either, since Angel says in Destiny that Spike never won before.  I had to kill somebody, so Emma got elected. Thanks for reviewing.

02/19/2009 12:09 am
Last Mistake         
DAMN Angelus is such a bastard (and in character too.  The Master said he was the most evil and the Judge said he had not humanity so he really was this bad). 

Great action sequence.  Very wrought with tension, very visual. 

Poor Emma...you can't help but feel bad for her really.  Poor Spike too though, already his women are being taken by the poof!

Really great update.

Kathleen
Angelus is a bastard, that's why we love him.  I may have written Emma a little too sad sack and crushed down.  I did have to kill her, but maybe she should have gone out in a blaze of glory.  Spike should grow a pair and beat the daylights out of Dru and maybe Darla too and he wouldn't have so many problems with women.  Thanks so much.

02/18/2009 11:38 pm
Last Mistake         
Yikes, that was all too believably brutal.  Scary stuff.
Thanks so much.  I love brutal and scary.

All4Spike
02/18/2009 08:53 pm
Last Mistake         
Aw, poor William. Still, I have to say Emma wasn't good for him.
Emma would have been great for William.  If nothing else, sex and getting away from his mother.  Thanks for reviewing.

02/18/2009 06:34 pm
Last Mistake         
Emma met a fitting end IMHO for what she did.   Great fight scenes.  Very riveting.
Ooo, Emma got herself in trouble by betraying Spike.  I wasn't exactly expecting that.  She didn't want to hurt Spike/William and she tries to make up for it.  Thanks so much for reviewing.

02/18/2009 04:18 am
Last Mistake         

What a fight scene - NICE WORK.  Glad that Spike finally got it straight about his lovely Emma - she had a terrible life and did the best she could to try and escape the rotten deal she was struck with.  And who knows, maybe William might have been able to change life for both of them. 

Once again, you have a great ending - Angelus was thinking one thing and William/Spike was thinking something else entirely -
It's really a pity that Emma could not have found the strength to rebel against all those in life that used her so sorely -

Think you did a great presentation of Angelus and his women - and I loved your William - it all felt very realistic and appropriate to the characters we meet in the series -

Thanks so very much for a really excellent William-Spike story.

Thanks so much.  It was really hard finding a way to keep Angel from killing Spike.  Emma does rebel a littlle bit by trying to interfere.  I'm not sure I shouldn't have made her stronger or more daring or something.  She's a little too crushed down.  She had to die, of course.  No choice there. 

Brett
02/18/2009 04:04 am
Last Mistake         
Oh God. What a Story i tell ya. Great chapter.
Thanks Brett. 

07/11/2009 04:43 am
Black Feathers, Black Ribbons         
 what an ass!  and what a cruel thing Emma turned out to be.

Emma is not so much cruel as needy and self centered.  I didn't intend to hurt William so much as use him as her escape.  She loves him in her own way.  Not as much as she loves Angelus, tho.

02/18/2009 06:24 pm
Black Feathers, Black Ribbons         
Oh, poor Emma.   She is the saddest vampire I've seen since that guy on Angel.  Very well written.
I think I may have made her a little too pathetic.  She used to be fun and free and Angel tramped her down.  Thanks for reviewing.

IT
02/16/2009 07:24 pm
Black Feathers, Black Ribbons         
Just caught up with a few chapters - wow, good work!  And an evil cliffie, as well.  You're really putting Spike throught the wringer, but I guess he wants his story told.  Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much - next chapter tomorrow.  Maybe. 

02/03/2009 06:05 am
Black Feathers, Black Ribbons         

Great Update - very exciting how you bring his confrontation with past love and hope together with his new family of vampire jailers.  While we always knew that Emma was using him, it's hard to have him finally understand the reality of their relationship.  William was totally innocent and clueless and Emma was so desperate to find her own freedom.  NICE the way poet, dreamer, William comes right back, still longing for his lost dream and hope with Emma - it was heart breaking to hear him speak of the life they could still have, but turned to the nighttime blackness of the vampire life. 

kudos on another wonderful ending line -

William/Spike's essential character hasn't changed and running away (becoming a vampire) hasn't changed things for him.  He's only switched jailers and become violent and talks back.  I'm not sure how he's going to come out at the end of the fight.  Thanks for reviewing.

02/02/2009 04:18 pm
Black Feathers, Black Ribbons         
OH I can so see this!  I can also see that this could cause him to really embrace the evil, dark side too.  He's got another woman who wants Angelus (GOD....then BUFFY too....are they ALL idiots?).

I can also see Angelus wanting to be rid of Spike and using this method to get him.  Funny....it never occurred to me that Emma had been turned even though I suspected Angelus of killing her.

"He preferred someone honed by a hard life on the streets, someone who would put up a fight. " This is how I always saw the character too.  He didn't go for the easy kill but preferred to have to take a chance that he might not survive (another reason he sought out Slayers).....it made more of a challenge.

Excellent peek of those first years with the rest.  Sounds dead on too.

Kathleen
Yes, by this point Angelus is probably more than tired of Spike causing trouble, stirring up the local stake handlers, not to mention sharing the girls.  Sadly, Harmony appears to be the only female that really cared about Spike.  Too bad she was oh so stupid.  Thanks, as always for taking time to review.

Brett
02/02/2009 06:42 am
Black Feathers, Black Ribbons         
Holy crap! I hope spike beats the living piss out of Angelus. No wonder Spike hates Angel(us) so much.
He's going to try and personally I wouldn't want Spike coming after me with a broken bottle in his hand, even if I was a vampire.  Thanks so much for reviewing.

02/02/2009 12:45 am
Black Feathers, Black Ribbons         
Brilliant chapter.  Could family life get any grimmer for poor William?  Really well done.
Thanks for reviewing guest and in answer to your question - yes! Yes it can! 

All4Spike
02/01/2009 11:15 pm
Black Feathers, Black Ribbons         
Oh, poor Emma. Yet another victim of Angelus' cruelty.
Mmmm, so far.  Thanks for reviewing.

02/01/2009 10:59 pm
Black Feathers, Black Ribbons         
And there I thought we would have seen the last of William/Emma. But at last for all it is worth she warned him.
She isn't terrible - she liked William.  She wanted to use him, of course, but she didn't want to be mean to him, which was more than he got from Cecily or Drusilla or Buffy, either. 

07/11/2009 04:22 am
Heart on Fire         
 :((  William Dies, but Spike is born.  Poor man, and more hard times ahead :(

He's still pretty much William for a while, as you will see.

02/03/2009 05:27 am
Heart on Fire         
this is such a good exploration  of the emotions and desires that sent William into that alley and why he speaks his "yes" to Drusilla.  Your story adds so much to his background and his choice that most important of all nights.  I like how you make him want to finally rebel against all the "acceptable" forms in his life.  Here, like the series, William is really the fish out of water. 

Drusilla's seemingly nonsensical observation:
 “That and burning baby fish swimming all around your head.”
make perfect metaphorical sense.  William will soon leave all his social demons and find a new life and form of existence as his vampire nature.  Dru, as the metaphorical "danger in the sea" gives new life to William and all his newly  awakened passions with Emma will find a new expression. 

LOVE your closing line - wonderful
I have never understood Dru's baby fish line and your explanation makes sense.  William is certainly going to try to leave behind his hot house life., but I'm not so certain he will be successful for a long long time.  Angelus is a mean bastard.  I love him.  Thanks for reviewing.

01/18/2009 02:09 am
Heart on Fire         
Ah yes, seduced by the possibility of that passion he thought he had glimpsed with Emma.  Poor deluded boy.

You captured his emotional turmoil beautifully here, the poor dear is so torn between duty and desire.

Kathleen

William is deluded and possibly a little off his rocker.  Thanks for the wonderful review.

01/17/2009 09:55 pm
Heart on Fire         
Very well written description of William's mindset paving the way for Drusilla.  I always wondered why he didn't flee knowing that she wasn't an ordinary Victorian woman. 
I think this chapter gives a possible explanation - also the fact that she's giving him a hand job.  Not a lot of men who would run off from that, especially a guy wound as tight as William.  Thanks for the review.

01/16/2009 11:16 pm
Heart on Fire         
So William will turn into Spike... the tin bird didn't change that.
No - in fact William's relationship with Emma pushes him forward.  Thanks for reviewing.

All4Spike
01/16/2009 09:43 pm
Heart on Fire         
I was beginning to wonder if we were going to get Spike at all. Despite how fond I am of William, I'm glad we have. I'm beginning to wonder what's happening with Buffy and the birdy though...
Spike and Buffy will return (with plenty of angst I hope) in the next chapter.  Thanks for reviewing.

01/16/2009 06:52 pm
Heart on Fire         
No more black borders for William.  He's got some nasty surprises coming his way!
He does, but at the end of those nasties is the really right girl, our very own Buffy.  Thanks.

07/11/2009 04:10 am
Black Borders         
 God I wanted to slap her for hurtin our boy GRRR, off for more!  ooo am hooked if you hadnt noticed ;)
Which one of the many?  His mother, his girl, Cecily? 

All4Spike
01/16/2009 09:39 pm
Black Borders         
Oh poor William. I hate her she's so cruel. I want to snuggle him and cuddle him.. etc. etc.
Cecily is cruel, but in her favor, I have to say that only a really brutal cut would stop William from coming back.  We see how obsessed Spike is, and William is possibly the same.  Also, it didn't appear to me that she really gave him any encouragement - it was all in William's head, and possibly his mother's.  I'm not sure I made William silly and dorky enough.  Thanks for reviewing.

01/15/2009 07:25 am
Black Borders         
Great Job -

Sorry that I lost my long review to the Computer Text Eating Monster.

Have to say how very much I have enjoyed your visualizations and use of metaphor  - all those ribbons and black bows and repeating symbols of a life being stiflied and bound - NICE

You have taken William and added so much to the "Fool For Love" episode and the character - I feel even more compassion and sorrow for William -

Congrats on your hors d’oeuvre section - it's like Angelus, Darla and Dru are getting ready to eat him right up -  
Thanks so much.  This has been a very exciting and completely different project for me.  As Spike said, I can't wait to see how this turns out. 

01/13/2009 05:10 am
Black Borders         
Ouch....even though this William does not fancy himself in love with Cecily she still drew blood there.

Very proper and fatalist is our William....very much dedicated to doing his duty now that love is lost....he is primed for Dru with her "inappropriate" allure.

Nicely done.

Kathleen

Yes, William has some pride and he's easily wounded.  He might be a little in love with her anyway because he always has to be in love with someone.  Thanks for reviewing.

01/11/2009 07:53 pm
Black Borders         
Ah yes I remember the events.
*shakes head* Ribbons around the eggs? No wonder that that is driving William crazy.
But I guess he has other problems now - like getting turned.
I'm seeing Mom as a bit looney toons.  Maybe being turned restored her to sanity as well as health.  Thanks for reviewing.

01/11/2009 06:07 pm
Black Borders         
This is a very believable backstory for that interlude.
Thanks J - hope I can tie it all together in the end. 

07/11/2009 03:55 am
A Few Words         
 OH thats terrible!  I didn't see that coming :(   Poor William
More meanness to come

Arielle
02/18/2009 12:32 am
A Few Words         
so far i like it!
Thanks A - another chapter going up tonight.

01/05/2009 08:07 am
A Few Words         
Oh wow that's terrible, I can't wait to continue this story, been a very good read so far.
Thanks guest.  What can I say?  I was born bad.

01/04/2009 10:13 pm
A Few Words         
I don't think that William's mother would have approved Emma.
But what a fate - only coincidence that she is dead now that the tin bird is it?
No coincidences in fiction and its hard to imagine William's mother approving of anyone.  Thanks for reviewing.

01/04/2009 06:00 pm
A Few Words         
amazing.
Thanks guest.

01/04/2009 04:34 pm
A Few Words         
Definitely a horrifying and unexpected turn of events!
Yes, horrifying, thanks for the fine compliment. 

All4Spike
01/04/2009 02:58 pm
A Few Words         
Oh, poor Emma... and poor William. I didn't see that coming...
I'm sure I gave some wicked hints.  Thanks for reviewing.

Cas
01/04/2009 05:05 am
A Few Words         
Oh, poor William!  To have loved and lost so quickly!  But I am glad that he sees more clearly that Cecily would not do at all.
I'm not so certain that he sees so clearly about Cecily.  Thanks for reviewing.

01/04/2009 02:21 am
A Few Words         

William and destiny - either way he turned; Cecily or Miss Harlan, death was following his path - the superficial and stifled life with Cecily or his brave attempt to life a full life with his lovely singer.  Either way, his innocence and romantic heart would have been destroyed.  William was truly a man lost in place and time but wanting to live and love -

Exactly - I can't believe that William hadn't been itching to kick over the traces prior to the night that Cecily sent him packing.  Thanks.

spuffy
01/04/2009 01:58 am
A Few Words         
ho my god!!!
to that i didnt expect! poor william!!
plz update sooon!!

I had to kill her, I'm evil.  Thanks for reviewing.

01/04/2009 01:44 am
A Few Words         
Oh dear...Angelus no doubt...THAT must have been what was dark and wet on his lips!  Poor William. 

Wonder how he will become entranced by Cecily once more having compared her so unfavorably to Emma.

Very tender how he "protected" his angel from prying eyes by pulling down her skirt and rearranged her head in a less painful looking position.  He is terribly sweet.

Kathleen
William is sweet.  Buffy doesn't deserve him.  Thanks for reviewing.

07/11/2009 03:46 am
Juggler         
 meeting her in the dark alley after the show, with Darla, Dru and Angelus in town... this doesnt sound like a good plan.
William and Spike have the bad planning thing in common, I think.

01/03/2009 10:07 am
Juggler         
Excellent Chapter - It's like death keeps coming closer and closer - what a brave, but innocent young man is our poor William. 

Great to have your new chapters -

Death is almost inevitable at this point.  Thanks.

01/02/2009 03:44 pm
Juggler         
Poor impetuous William, I fear there'll be something nasty waiting for him.  I'm really enjoying this.
Thanks very much - nasty coming up shortly.

01/02/2009 12:52 am
Juggler         
Ahhh so Angelus has noted William!  Gave a bit of goose bumps having those yellow preditory eyes turn on Billy that way.

Yes, bits of what will be Spike are there.....wanting wild, passionate love that consumes all in its way.  Resentment of the constraints of his society all the while conforming and anticipating further conforming.

Excellent study of what might have been.

Kathleen
PF - can you imagine anything more scary than have Angelus stalking you?  Gives me goosebumps.  It isn't just Spike that's the romantic, it's William.  Thanks for the compliment and the review.

01/01/2009 09:59 pm
Juggler         
Curiouser and curirouser.  I am wondering what is Emma's angle.  And also that "new one" comment.  What's up with that?  I just don't want William to be hurt but then again this is the Whedonverse. 
Of course William will be hurt - that's a given in the Buffyverse.  Thanks for reviewing.

All4Spike
01/01/2009 09:23 pm
Juggler         
Now I'm worried that Emma is taking advantage of William... 'the new one' doesn't sound very good at all. I'm also worried about just how frequently Angelus, Darla and Dru are popping up...
Emma has her own agenda as we will see.  Thanks for reviewing.

01/01/2009 06:08 pm
Juggler         
Seems William exchange his obsession from Cecily now to Emma Harlan. Makes me wonder how it will end - and how William will become Spike and met Buffy.
We know how William becomes Spike and meets Buffy - I'm not touching that one :).  I'm just exploring the idea of William's life before he becomes a vampire - what are the pressures on him that make him run out in the alley after Cecily rejects him.  Also, what makes William so up tight and the all important relationship with his mother.  Thanks for reviewing.

07/11/2009 03:11 am
The Crash         
 poor tortured William, now Anglus, Darla and Dru have come to town... off to next chapter...
The forces of darkness are closing in on poor Willy.

01/03/2009 09:42 am
The Crash         
Poor William - I am feeling very sorry for him and his tied up life - wonderful the way you used his mother's needlework to help describe how ordered and prescribed their lives have become.  Nice touch with how you are using the tin bird and all that black ribbon and embroidery -
Thanks - Spike's mother is a passive aggressive bitch.  I've never believed that once she becomes a vampire and says all those horrible things to William that it was just the demon talking - no, it was Mom.

12/31/2008 03:35 pm
The Crash         
And will there be more of the delightful Miss Harlan? She is intriguing indeed and looking forward to how she figures into the plot further along.
She'll be back in the next chapter.  William doesn't get off that easy.  Thanks for reviewing.

12/31/2008 01:25 pm
The Crash         
You really captured the stultifying Victorian life with Mum, poor William.
Thanks Lou - William is a big sissy, but you just have to feel sorry for him.

12/31/2008 12:00 am
The Crash         
Were the black ribbons on the bottle and the handle of his hair brush signs for mourning?
Because he said he wasn't dead yet. Alcohol can kill you easily.
William is under a lot of pressure.
Yes - women tied black ribbons around their perfume bottles and junk.  They had their stationery printed with black borders and sewed black borders on their handkerchiefs.  Even tiny babies wore outfits with black edges and stuff.  They loved wearing black (like New Yorkers) and going in for what we would consider excessive mourning practices.  I think Queen Victoria never took off mourning for her husband and she outlived him by decades.   

For the story purposes, I had William's mother tie ribbons around his stuff, which makes him bonkers and I exaggerated some of the ribbon business, but it's within the realm of possibility.  Most men probably wouldn't have put up with that nonsense for long, but William is very devoted to his Mum.

William isn't drinking (he's too up tight for that!) but he feels like he's living in a tomb and yes, he's in a pressure cooker steamed up by Dear Old Mom.  Nice old ladies are really scary. 

Thanks for reviewing.

All4Spike
12/30/2008 11:50 pm
The Crash         
Poor William, so stifled and determined to 'do the right thing' at the expense of his own happiness. You portray the 'prim and properness' of the Victorian middle class very well.
William is uptight.  I doubt most Victorian men were quite so prissy as he is (booze, drugs and sex were certainly around, just hidden), but I was working with the idea of making things really bad for William to explain the total blowout that is Spike.  Thanks so much for reviewing. 

07/11/2009 02:49 am
Fizzle Sizzle         
 so, she works at nite, in a theatre, interesting :)  am hooked.. off to the next
Ooo hooked - I like that!

12/30/2008 05:56 pm
Fizzle Sizzle         
Let Me Call You Sweetheart is a wonderful song/melody  and one of my faves!  Strange that I know both of the songs or maybe it's just age since songs were around a lot longer in the past than they are now.  And I am anxiously awaiting to see what the trio is up to.  And just how Miss Harlan figures into the equation?


Heh heh  - Let me call you Sweetheart is REALLY old.  All will be revealed after a couple of cliffhangers.  Thanks for reviewing.

12/30/2008 12:22 am
Fizzle Sizzle         
Miss Harlan is a bit weird. Definitely strange with her stealing and her openness.

She's everything that Cecily isn't.  Thanks for reviewing.

12/29/2008 01:17 am
Fizzle Sizzle         
The story is coming out so well that I would not hurry to finish it - better to continue on the very nice road you are on and make this the best William - maybe even Spike - that you can create. 

It really is coming out well -

Thanks so much.  I'm working on something else, but maybe I can think about a sequel.

12/29/2008 01:16 am
Fizzle Sizzle         
WOW the song choice!!!!  My father used to sing the first one to my mother and I can hear him as I read the words.  The second was the one he sang to me ( I was his Kathleen Mo mhuirnín!).  You've made me cry but in a nice way for the lovely memories.  My father has been gone since 1982 and I miss him very much.

Love this story.  Your slang is a delight and I am quite interested in how this plays out.  Nice authentic feel to the original characters.

Kathleen
We had a player piano when I was a kid and my dad used to sing a lot of those old songs too, and sadly, he's gone too.  He used to pretend that he was playing the piano and my brother and I were so stupid that we believed him.  I'm so glad that you have that nice association. Thanks so much for the note.

All4Spike
12/28/2008 09:36 pm
Fizzle Sizzle         
Curiouser and curiouser.
William has jumped down the rabbit hole now.  Thanks for reviewing.

12/28/2008 02:28 am
Fizzle Sizzle         

Great Update  -  your story keeps getting more and more entertaining - Love how you are bringing in all the period slang and your references to those three diabolical characters.  the "I'm your huckleberry" reminds me of one of my fav film - plus another nice touch with Cagey Leander.

Altogether a lively and lovely William Pratt story. 


Thanks as always - I'm almost regretting that I didn't work it up to a 75K extravaganza, but I wanted to focus on another piece. 

07/11/2009 02:25 am
Razzle Dazzle         
 Hmm a strange girl, an odd bird, and sarsaparilla.  Interesting.  Off to read next chapter...
William attracts the weird.  I think they see him as easy to take advantage of. 

12/30/2008 12:10 am
Razzle Dazzle         
Oh and it seems the shop's motto is more important than I thought and so not normal. And we got a first glance at the Angelus, Darla and Dru.

Poor William - the forces of darkness are swirling all around. 

Dustyelle
12/28/2008 02:13 am
Razzle Dazzle         
i love this fic!  I'm totally confused and I'm loving it.  Can't wait for the next installment.
Oh no - I hope you're not confused by bad writing on my part.  Let's just say that William has been distracted from his mother and his duty.  Thanks for reviewing.

All4Spike
12/26/2008 06:07 pm
Razzle Dazzle         
Curiouser and curiouser. There is obviously magic or fate at work, but you have me totally baffled. This is good.
I had to Google 'Kitty wampus', never having heard it before. What a lovely saying!
Never thought of goggling slang, that's good.  :)  The forces of darkness are circling around William  - Dr. Gull, the mysterious deaths as on the show.  Thought I'd pull the noose a little tighter.  Thanks for reviewing.

12/25/2008 09:59 pm
Razzle Dazzle         
You are doing one terrific job with this story - I am so very happy that you decided to try something with the William banner.  This is turning out to be a lovely piece on William - you have him just as I imagine him - Love your new character and the fine descriptive tone you are setting -

All my Best Wishes to you for your Christmas Day - you have given us a fine prezzie with this new chapter.

Thanks so much NM - I couldn't have done it without you.  Have a lovely holiday. 

12/25/2008 01:09 am
Razzle Dazzle         
Hmm, is there some demon aspect to Harrod's motto?  Anxiously waiting to see how this pulls together.  And I'm wondering about the sudden appearance of the American with her very interesting slang.

I'm pretty sure that Harrod's would have to have a Wish Demon on board to keep up with that motto.  :) 

In FFL, Dr. Gull gets mentioned by William, who as you probably know, was one of the suspects for the Jack the Ripper crimes.  I've long thought that William was being surrounded by the forces of darkness - Dr. Gull, Cecily, who turns out to be Halfrek, Angel and his band roaming the streets around William's neighborhood and picking off victims, even bumping into him on the street.  You have to feel sorry for him, he's so weak.  The noose is tightening and he's oblivious to the great danger.  Miss Merk actually might be a good Wish Demon.

I did look up a lot of American slang from the 1880's (it's amazing how much of it is still very common today), but then I thought that Joss always makes up his own, so I took a page out of his book.  A little of it is real, most of it is made up. 

Thanks for reviewing. 

07/11/2009 01:32 am
An Invitation         
 grrr what a witch!  must read more!

heh heh - I guess you mean our dear dear Cecily. 

12/30/2008 12:03 am
An Invitation         

Interesting bit with the two Christmas dolls, a dark and a light one (blonde and brunette).
(If you think of Buffy and Dru).


Not just Buffy and Dru, evil writer says mysteriously.  Thanks for the review.

lilashannah
12/24/2008 08:04 pm
An Invitation         
I hate Cecily!! What a wonderful story! I can't wait to read more!I love how you write William.I wonder what Buffy will think when she opens the package.Will it make her less hard hearted?I hope so.She's such a b'och to our Spike.

Cecily is awful.  Becoming a vengenance demon probably improved her.  Not really sure yet how Buffy's going to react.  We'll have to see. 

12/24/2008 05:23 am
An Invitation         
I love the way you painted the Victorian social setting.  Do you happen to read Anne Perry's novels?  They are wonderful.

I have read some of Anne Perry's novels.  They're pretty good.  I have a feel for the Victorian thing.  My parents owned a huge number of Victorian antiques when I was a kid and we lived in a couple of Victorian houses (updated with running water, thank gd.)  Thanks for reviewing.

IT
12/24/2008 01:01 am
An Invitation         
Poor William!  Your really are putting him through the wringer.  Thanks for the update.

The Wringer is going to get worse, of course.  Thanks.

12/23/2008 04:07 am
An Invitation         
This is coming out really great - you are bringing William and his world alive for us - wonderful descriptive quality -  great William study.
Thanks NM, although I'm afraid I haven't made William silly enough. 

07/10/2009 03:36 am
The Dark and The Light         
 shame on Buffy, it doesnt usually pay off to be nosy.  Off to the next chapter (cuz I loved this one)
Thanks callme - this is not my usual schtick as I'm sure you've noticed. 

12/29/2008 11:53 pm
The Dark and The Light         
I think I missed this one; saw it only today. I like the start with Buffy sneaking in.
I'm working on the theory that whatever Spike would do, Buffy would get around to as well.  Thanks for the review.

AthenaMuze
12/29/2008 03:19 am
The Dark and The Light         
I've not yet read this (just about to), but I have to point out... You DO know his name is Joss, right? That's just a typo? I'm really hoping that's the case.
Just a typo - I'm an old lady.  I can't see anything anymore. 

IT
12/22/2008 05:57 pm
The Dark and The Light         
P.S.  The banner is lovely!  Has anyone else noticed, though, that the flower behind William gives him Easter Bunny ears?  Maybe it's just me....  I love the photo of William.

Actually I put together the story based on the banner and not the other (usual) way around.  It was just too beautiful and inspiring to pass up.  Wm. does have bunny ears - only appropriate for the timid little rabbit that he is. 

IT
12/22/2008 05:52 pm
The Dark and The Light         
I can tell this fic is going to bring forward a lot of emotions for Spike.  Great beginning.  Looking forward to more.

I'm planning on dragging Spike thru the angsty mud this time.  Much as I hate too.  Thanks for reviewing.

All4Spike
12/22/2008 03:49 pm
The Dark and The Light         
Intriguing start. I love that Buffy is openly showing enough interest in Spike to want to have a snoop. I don't think he'd mind, except he really hates to be reminded about being weak little William...

THanks for reviewing.  Spike's reaction remains to be seen.

12/22/2008 11:50 am
The Dark and The Light         
This is wonderful - it feels great to see a story that was done from one of my images.  Thank you so very much for creating a story to go with my Christmas banner -

Love how you reference the Angels with Buffy and Dru and the use of Cecily and his mother - his box reminds me of the  writing desks; lovely quality that you have established between William and Spike -
Thank you for the wonderful banner.  I would have never written this story without the images as inspiration.  You'll start to see them working through the plot in Chap 3. 

spuffy
12/22/2008 07:38 am
The Dark and The Light         
please update soon!!!!!

Thanks - I'm planning on updating every day since I'm home for the next couple of weeks. 

Tamara
12/22/2008 07:32 am
The Dark and The Light         
I like it. I wonder if this makes Buffy realize anything about Spike and if any epiphanies will stick.

Our Buffy is not very given to epiphanies.  I may have to leave that to the readers.  Thanks for reviewing.

12/22/2008 05:17 am
The Dark and The Light         
Cool start, Spike would mind her going through her things :P I hope you don't make Spike a stupid pussy tho :)


Would he mind, or interpret her snooping to his own benefit?  Spike won't be a pussy, but I can't make any promises about William.  :)  Thanks for reviewing.