Jake! You've definitely got my attention w/this one! Wow! Love, love (!) post-Chosen (/&/or/post-NFA) fics! Can't get enough of 'em, if they're Spuffy-friendly! Great horrific details. Gah, I hope it's not really Spike. Sounds definitely like something that Angel(us) would do, his M.O.; shades of Jenny Calender, w/the roses & posing, the drawing, etc, at least w/the female victim. And they're both fond of the black jeans/clothing, & have been known to hang out under street lamps/against walls, trees, against buildings, in alleys etc in order to stalk somebody/study prey. The comments of course, re: 'her never loving him', and the folksong, and the name do add up to William/Spike; but the drawing and the roses,the torture, and torn-up throats def sound much more like Angelus. The burns too (even chemical), for that matter (one of Faith's tricks, too). I can't think of anything involving a noose w/either of the boys, in particular, except for the time Angel was hung in the Hyperion during the (appx.) 1950's. Spike also was never particularly linked to using torture especially, specifically doing it himself, although he does mention torturing Dru until he wins her back, and there's the incident between Angel & him w/the Gem of Amara. I believe "fanon" steers away from the idea of Spike/WtB being into torturing (except when Dru particularly required it of him for herself) someone, unless absolutely necessary (?), prefering to adhere to the "Spike as a lover and a fighter, a scrapper" and less of a "cold, calculating, twisted, perverted deviant evil monster/unhuman torturous/raping/murduring demon" (pretty much leaving that baileywicke to Angelus (and the likes previous, to Penn, etc)). Spike/Wm's never been attributed (to my knowledge) in canon to be an artist (like Angel was specifically), but more of a literati, a classicist. However, the female victim's comments about "wanting to feel again" etc after the death of her husband, do of course, bring to mind Buffy's state of mind post-"The Gift S05/"Bargaining I & II etc S06--on thru her relationship w/ Spike in S06.
Is it possible that the murders are being committed by Angelus *saying* his name is 'William', and leaving incriminating evidence to frame Spike for them so that Buffy will dust him or think the worst of Spike? Or that someone else is doing the same? (like an evil-Xander maybe, still w/a jonesing on for a Buffy-booty-call?) Or more WR&H evilness? Perhaps they brought back a second more evil Wm the Bloody? An other-dimensional counterpart (Dark!Spike/Dark!William!)???
And now on to *Faith*... NOT that she and Spike don't actually mesh up on the eHarmony scale of matchable evil potentiallity... and have chemistry... but isn't that just a scary possibility of nightmarish potential? Is he really *with* Faith in a relationship (romantic or sexual)? Or just in it for the sex? Or not really in a "together" relationshisp at all (just letting B think there was one going on)??? (Since she says she caught the show)... and was it meant correctly, or a typo, or did I misunderstand... when referring to both Spike *AND* Faith, you wrote "ex's"... were you referring to ONE of them (Spike) being AN ex, or BOTH of them (, ie, 'exes', Spike AND Faith, either together/trio, or seperate (mf, fmf/ffm) jointly/singly BOTH having been in relationship(s) w/Buffy???
Regardless, I'm snagged. I hope this is a good long one! Hurry with more!!!
~~Kara