Brilliantly written. Evocative and poignant...I'm shocked this doesn't have more reviews. Maybe giving it a better summary would help, then mention the BtVS vs. Angel categorisation dilemma before you start the fic?

Either way, this was beautiful. Spike was William, once upon a time. Not William the Bloody, but William the 'Bloody Awful' Poet. It's lovely to see you write him with the command of language and emotion that he tries so desperately to keep hidden.